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Nanotheranostic agents for neurodegenerative diseases
Parasuraman Padmanabhan1, Mathangi Palanivel1, Ajay Kumar2,3
1Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore 636921.
Emerging Topics in Life Sciences
|December 15, 2020
Summary
Nanoparticles offer a promising solution for delivering therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), such as Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's (PD), significantly impact aging populations globally, causing severe quality-of-life impairments and economic burdens.
- Current therapeutic strategies for NDDs face challenges, particularly in delivering drugs effectively across the blood-brain barrier (BBB).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the advantages of functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) as theranostic agents for NDD diagnosis and therapy.
- To summarize studies on NP applications for treating NDDs, focusing on AD and PD.
- To discuss current challenges and future perspectives for NP-based theranostics in NDDs.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery for neurodegenerative diseases.
- Analysis of studies investigating the efficacy of various NPs in preclinical models of AD and PD.
- Examination of NP functionalization strategies for targeting the BBB and brain cells.
Main Results:
- Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems show promise for overcoming BBB limitations in NDD treatment.
- Functionalized NPs can be designed for targeted delivery and controlled release of therapeutics to brain tissues.
- Preclinical studies demonstrate the biological efficacy of NPs in NDD models, including AD and PD.
Conclusions:
- Functionalized nanoparticles represent a significant advancement in theranostic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases.
- Targeted NP delivery systems offer potential for improved diagnosis and treatment of conditions like AD and PD.
- Further research is needed to address existing challenges and optimize NP-based theranostics for clinical application in NDDs.
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