Bioactive compound nanoparticles for Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is regarded as a type of dementia that has significantly affected a large population, thus posing a global health concern. The amyloid beta hypothesis and tau pathology define the disease pathology. The hallmarks of this disease are defined by the presence of neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques, thus supporting the theories presented above. Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation can also serve as therapeutic targets for treatment. Current conventional treatments have focused on managing the symptoms rather than modifying the disease. One of the major challenges this delivery systems face is their inability to cross the blood-brain barrier; hence, the development of nanoparticle delivery systems incorporates the required active component and utilizes different mechanisms such as transcytosis, cell-mediated transport, or advanced techniques to surpass the blood-brain barrier. Bioactive components possess multiple advantages such as being anti-inflammatory and antioxidant in nature. They also target the main pathology involved in the aggregation of amyloid fibres and hyperphosphorylation of tau proteins. Various bioactive nanoparticles have been demonstrated in disease models to operate on certain targets and facilitate blood-brain barrier crossing. The article also covers the salient features of some of the nanoparticle systems under investigation separating them based on the norms of those aimed at addressing various disease pathologies. Despite being able to address the main issues with traditional drug delivery, they nevertheless have some disadvantages, such as toxicity, bioavailability, and regulatory barriers. However, the prospects for bioactive nanoparticles appear bright.