Chiral gold nanoparticles enantioselectively rescue memory deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Serum albumin-embedding copper nanoclusters inhibit Alzheimer's β-amyloid fibrillogenesis and neuroinflammation

Increasing evidence suggests that the accumulations of reactive oxygen species (ROS), β-amyloid (Aβ), and neuroinflammation are crucial pathological hallmarks for the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet there are few effective treatment strategies. Therefore, design of nanomaterials capable of simultaneously elimination of ROS and inhibition of Aβ aggregation and neuroinflammation is urgently needed for AD treatment. Herein, we designed human serum albumin (HSA)-embedded ultrasmall copper nanoclusters (CuNCs@HSA) via an HSA-mediated fabrication strategy. The as-prepared CuNCs@HSA exhibited outstanding multiple enzyme-like properties, including superoxide dismutase (>5000 U/mg), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities as well as hydroxyl radicals scavenging ability. Besides, CuNCs@HSA prominently inhibited Aβ fibrillization, and its inhibitory potency was 2.5-fold higher than native HSA. Moreover, CuNCs@HSA could significantly increase the viability of Aβ-treated cells from 60 % to over 96 % at 40 μg/mL and mitigate Aβ-induced oxidative stresses. The secretion of neuroinflammatory cytokines by lipopolysaccharide-induced BV-2 cells, including tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6, was alleviated by CuNCs@HSA. In vivo studies manifested that CuNCs@HSA effectively suppressed the formation of plaques in transgenic C. elegans, reduced ROS levels, and extended C. elegans lifespan by 5 d. This work, using HSA as a template to mediate the fabrication of copper nanoclusters with robust ROS scavenging capability, exhibited promising potentials in inhibiting Aβ aggregation and neuroinflammation for AD treatment.

Precision-engineered metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles for biomedical imaging and healthcare applications

The growing field of nanotechnology has witnessed numerous advancements over the past few years, particularly in the development of engineered nanoparticles. Compared with bulk materials, metal nanoparticles possess more favorable properties, such as increased chemical activity and toxicity, owing to their smaller size and larger surface area. Metal nanoparticles exhibit exceptional stability, specificity, sensitivity, and effectiveness, making them highly useful in the biomedical field. Metal nanoparticles are in high demand in biomedical nanotechnology, including Au, Ag, Pt, Cu, Zn, Co, Gd, Eu, and Er. These particles exhibit excellent physicochemical properties, including amenable functionalization, non-corrosiveness, and varying optical and electronic properties based on their size and shape. Metal nanoparticles can be modified with different targeting agents such as antibodies, liposomes, transferrin, folic acid, and carbohydrates. Thus, metal nanoparticles hold great promise for various biomedical applications such as photoacoustic imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography (CT), photothermal, and photodynamic therapy (PDT). Despite their potential, safety considerations, and regulatory hurdles must be addressed for safe clinical applications. This review highlights advancements in metal nanoparticle surface engineering and explores their integration with emerging technologies such as bioimaging, cancer therapeutics and nanomedicine. By offering valuable insights, this comprehensive review offers a deep understanding of the potential of metal nanoparticles in biomedical research.

Breaking Barriers in Alzheimer's Disease: the Role of Advanced Drug Delivery Systems

Alzheimer's disease (AD), characterized by cognitive impairment, brain plaques, and tangles, is a global health concern affecting millions. It involves the build-up of amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau proteins, the formation of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, cholinergic system dysfunction, genetic variations, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Various signaling pathways and metabolic processes are implicated in AD, along with numerous biomarkers used for diagnosis, risk assessment, and research. Despite these, there is no cure or effective treatment for AD. It is critically important to address this immediately to develop novel drug delivery systems (NDDS) capable of targeting the brain and delivering therapeutic agents to modulate the pathological processes of AD. This review summarizes AD, its pathogenesis, related signaling pathways, biomarkers, conventional treatments, the need for NDDS, and their application in AD treatment. It also covers preclinical, clinical, and ongoing trials, patents, and marketed AD formulations.

Synthesis of chiral graphene structures and their comprehensive applications: a critical review

From a molecular viewpoint, chirality is a crucial factor in biological processes. Enantiomers of a molecule have identical chemical and physical properties, but chiral molecules found in species exist in one enantiomer form throughout life, growth, and evolution. Chiral graphene materials have considerable potential for application in various domains because of their unique structural framework, properties, and controlled synthesis, including chiral creation, segregation, and transmission. This review article provides an in-depth analysis of the synthesis of chiral graphene materials reported over the past decade, including chiral nanoribbons, chiral tunneling, chiral dichroism, chiral recognition, and chiral transfer. The second segment focuses on the diverse applications of chiral graphene in biological engineering, electrochemical sensors, and photodetectors. Finally, we discuss research challenges and potential future uses, along with probable outcomes.

A review of metallic nanoparticles: present issues and prospects focused on the preparation methods, characterization techniques, and their theranostic applications

Metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) have garnered significant attention due to their ability to improve the therapeutic index of medications by reducing multidrug resistance and effectively delivering therapeutic agents through active targeting. In addition to drug delivery, MNPs have several medical applications, including in vitro and in vivo diagnostics, and they improve the biocompatibility of materials and nutraceuticals. MNPs have several advantages in drug delivery systems and genetic manipulation, such as improved stability and half-life in circulation, passive or active targeting into the desired target selective tissue, and gene manipulation by delivering genetic materials. The main goal of this review is to provide current information on the present issues and prospects of MNPs in drug and gene delivery systems. The current study focused on MNP preparation methods and their characterization by different techniques, their applications to targeted delivery, non-viral vectors in genetic manipulation, and challenges in clinical trial translation.

Nanomaterials that Aid in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease, Resolving Blood-Brain Barrier Crossing Ability

As a form of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD) suffers from no efficacious cure, yet AD treatment is still imperative, as it ameliorates the symptoms or prevents it from deteriorating or maintains the current status to the longest extent. The human brain is the most sensitive and complex organ in the body, which is protected by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This yet induces the difficulty in curing AD as the drugs or nanomaterials that are much inhibited from reaching the lesion site. Thus, BBB crossing capability of drug delivery system remains a significant challenge in the development of neurological therapeutics. Fortunately, nano-enabled delivery systems possess promising potential to achieve multifunctional diagnostics/therapeutics against various targets of AD owing to their intriguing advantages of nanocarriers, including easy multifunctionalization on surfaces, high surface-to-volume ratio with large payloads, and potential ability to cross the BBB, making them capable of conquering the limitations of conventional drug candidates. This review, which focuses on the BBB crossing ability of the multifunctional nanomaterials in AD diagnosis and treatment, will provide an insightful vision that is conducive to the development of AD-related nanomaterials.

Novel combination of Olesoxime/Resveratrol-encapsulated exosomes to improve cognitive function by targeting amyloid β-induced Alzheimer's disease: investigation on in vitro and in vivo model

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a fatal neurological illness that worsens with time. Preventing the aggregate formation of amyloid beta protein is a promising approach to treat Alzheimer's disease. This article describes an amiable procedure for the synthesis of Olesoxime-Resveratrol (OLX-RSV) encapsulated in exosomes. By suppressing Aβ1-42 aggregation and crossing the blood-brain barrier also known as BBB after intravenous treatment without resulting in any discernible damage, the nanocomposite demonstrated good biocompatibility. A variety of characterization technique including particle size, TEM, and in vitro drug release experiments, were used to characterize the exosomes. Human Neuroblastoma (SHSY5Y) cells were used to test the cytotoxicity and viability of cells of the formulation using the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. The prepared OLX-RSV-loaded exosomes were tested for their ability to suppress Aβ1-42 in SHSY5Y Cells by analyzing the amyloid samples using CD spectra. The effects of apoptosis on Human neuroblastoma cells were studied using cytofluorometry. The parameters of SOD, caspase-3 and the ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) were also evaluated. The behavioral outcomes of Morris water maze test demonstrated that OLX-RSV-loaded exosomes significantly enhanced the APP/PS1 mice's capacity to learn and remember spatial cues. Therefore, we hypothesized that OLX-RSV-loaded exosomes could be a useful and efficient method in the treatment of AD.

Borneol regulates meningeal lymphatic valve plasticity to clear Aβ aggregates in the prevention of AD-like symptoms

BACKGROUND

Meningeal lymphatic vessels (mLVs) have great potential to be the therapeutic target for β Amyloid protein (Aβ) clearing in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the regulatory methods of the mLVs are limited. The lymphatic valve, marked by FOXC2, is the fundamental structure for maintaining stable lymphatic drainage function. Preliminary evidence suggested that borneol (BO) as the classical phytochemicals could enhance the expression of FOXC2 in the mLVs of healthy mice.

PURPOSE

This study aims to explore the regulatory ability of BO on lymphatic valves of mLVs in the AD model mice.

STUDY DESIGN

We used the intracerebroventricular injection of Aβ42 oligomers to construct the AD-like symptoms model induced by toxic protein deposition. We administered BO nano micelles(BO-Ms) orally before and after to simulate the AD prevention and treatment strategy.

METHODS

Herein, this study characterized the efficacy and pathways of BO-Ms for regulating mLVs in AD model by Rt-PCR, WB and confocal microscopy, and determined the effects of BO-Ms on Aβ clearance, behavior and safety of AD mice.

RESULTS

The AD modeling process severely impaired the expression of lymphatic valves. However, after oral administering BO-Ms for prevention and treatment, an increase in the lymphatic valves of the transverse sinus was observed, which derived from the up-regulation of the transcription factor (FOXC2 and Akt) and the down-regulation of the transcription inhibitors (FOXO1 and PRDM1). Furthermore, the effects of BO-Ms on the lymphatic valves could enhance the lymphatic drainage of the mLVs in AD-like mice, promoting the clearance of toxicity aggregates, protecting neurons, and alleviating AD-like symptoms. Simultaneously, continuous oral BO-Ms for 30 days didn't show any significant organ toxicity. The most important thing was that the preventive effect of BO administration was superior to therapeutic administration in all data.

CONCLUSION

In summary, our research indicated that BO is a promoter of lymphatic valve formation in the mLVs, and could prevent or repair damage caused by toxic Aβ42. BO was the only bioactive natural product with the ability to regulate mLVs valves. Thus, BO has the potential to become phytochemicals for alleviating AD symptoms by enhancing the drainage function of mLVs.

Chirality-Dependent Reprogramming of Macrophages

The chirality of materials directly influences their transport and biological effects in physiological conditions. However, the impact of chiral materials on cellular metabolic reprogramming remains incompletely elucidated. In this study, we have synthesized chiral gold particles through a light-driven particle growth approach and demonstrated that d-Au particles exhibited superior macrophage activation ability compared to l-Au particles. An inflammatory creatine-phosphocreatine shunt was induced following d-Au stimulation. This shunt, facilitated by the upregulated expression of creatine kinase muscle-type (CKM), also resulted in a reduction in cytosolic levels of creatine. Pharmacological inhibition and genetic ablation of CKM further suppressed the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, without compromising mitochondrial respiration. Moreover, the activation of macrophages induced by d-Au was mediated through the activation of the NF-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome pathways. Inhibition of CKM expression not only decreased the secretion of CXCL2 but also attenuated IL-1β by suppressing the NLRP3 inflammasome pathways. Our investigation into the metabolic reprogramming mechanism of chiral materials on macrophage activation is pivotal for the application of chiral-based anticancer therapies.

Expanding the Role of Chiral Drugs and Chiral Nanomaterials as a Potential Therapeutic Tool

Chirality, the property of molecules having mirror-image forms, plays a crucial role in pharmaceutical and biomedical research. This review highlights its growing importance, emphasizing how chiral drugs and nanomaterials impact drug effectiveness, safety, and diagnostics. Chiral molecules serve as precise diagnostic tools, aiding in accurate disease detection through unique biomolecule interactions. The article extensively covers chiral drug applications in treating cardiovascular diseases, CNS disorders, local anesthesia, anti-inflammatories, antimicrobials, and anticancer drugs. Additionally, it explores the emerging field of chiral nanomaterials, highlighting their suitability for biomedical applications in diagnostics and therapeutics, enhancing medical treatments.

Chirality of Copper-Amino Acid Nanoparticles Determines Chemodynamic Cancer Therapeutic Outcome

Chirality is a prevalent characteristic in nature, where biological systems exhibit a significant preference for specific enantiomers of biomolecules. However, there is a limited exploration into utilizing nanomaterials' chirality to modulate their interactions with intracellular substances. In this study, self-assembled copper-cysteine chiral nanoparticles and explore the influence of their charity on cancer chemodynamic therapy (CDT) are fabricated. Experimental and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation results demonstrate that the copper-l-cysteine chiral nanoparticles (Cu-l-Cys NPs) exhibit a stronger affinity toward l-glutathione (l-GSH) that is overproduced in cancer cells, compared to the copper-d-cysteine enantiomer (Cu-d-Cys NPs). The interaction between Cu-l-Cys NPs and l-GSH triggers a redox reaction that depletes l-GSH and converts Cu2+ into Cu+. Subsequently, Cu+ catalyzes a Fenton-like reaction, decomposing H2O2 into highly cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals (•OH) for cancer CDT. In vivo, results confirm that Cu-l-Cys NPs with good biocompatibility elicit a pronounced cancer cell death and effectively inhibit tumor growth. This work proposes a new perspective on chirality-enhanced cancer therapy.

Polyoxometalates: metallodrug agents for combating amyloid aggregation

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that affects ∼50 million people globally. The accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, a predominant pathological feature of AD, plays a crucial role in AD pathogenesis. In this respect, Aβ has been regarded as a highly promising therapeutic target for AD treatment. Polyoxometalates (POMs) are a novel class of metallodrugs being developed as modulators of Aβ aggregation, owing to their negative charge, polarity, and three-dimensional structure. Unlike traditional discrete inorganic complexes, POMs contain tens to hundreds of metal atoms, showcasing remarkable tunability and diversity in nuclearities, sizes, and shapes. The easily adjustable and structurally variable nature of POMs allows for their favorable interactions with Aβ. This mini-review presents a balanced overview of recent progress in using POMs to mitigate amyloidosis. Clear correlations between anti-amyloid activities and structural features of POMs are also elaborated in detail. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and future prospects of POMs in combating AD.

Engineering Core/Ligands Interfacial Anchors of Nanoparticles for Efficiently Inhibiting Both Aβ and Amylin Fibrillization

Accurate construction of artificial nano-chaperones' structure is crucial for precise regulation of protein conformational transformation, facilitating effective treatment of proteopathy. However, how the ligand-anchors of nano-chaperones affect the spatial conformational changes in proteins remains unclear, limiting the development of efficient nano-chaperones. In this study, three types of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with different core/ligands interface anchor structures (Au─NH─R, Au─S─R, and Au─C≡C─R, R = benzoic acid) are synthesized as an ideal model to investigate the effect of interfacial anchors on Aβ and amylin fibrillization. Computational results revealed that the distinct interfacial anchors imparted diverse distributions of electrostatic potential on the nanointerface and core/ligands bond strength of AuNPs, leading to differential interactions with amyloid peptides. Experimental results demonstrated that all three types of AuNPs exhibit site-specific inhibitory effects on Aβ40 fibrillization due to preferential binding. For amylin, amino-anchored AuNPs demonstrate strong adsorption to multiple sites on amylin and effectively inhibit fibrillization. Conversely, thiol- and alkyne-anchored AuNPs adsorb at the head region of amylin, promoting folding and fibrillization. This study not only provided molecular insights into how core/ligands interfacial anchors of nanomaterials induce spatial conformational changes in amyloid peptides but also offered guidance for precisely engineering artificial-chaperones' nanointerfaces to regulate the conformational transformation of proteins.

Biosynthesis of Nanoparticles with Green Tea for Inhibition of β-Amyloid Fibrillation Coupled with Ligands Analysis

Background

Inhibition of amyloid β protein fragment (Aβ) aggregation is considered to be one of the most effective strategies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has been found to be effective in this regard; however, owing to its low bioavailability, nanodelivery is recommended for practical applications. Compared to chemical reduction methods, biosynthesis avoids possible biotoxicity and cumbersome preparation processes.

Materials and Methods

The interaction between EGCG and Aβ42 was simulated by molecular docking, and green tea-conjugated gold nanoparticles (GT-Au NPs) and EGCG-Au NPs were synthesized using EGCG-enriched green tea and EGCG solutions, respectively. Surface active molecules of the particles were identified and analyzed using various liquid chromatography-tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry methods. ThT fluorescence assay, circular dichroism, and TEM were used to investigate the effect of synthesized particles on the inhibition of Aβ42 aggregation.

Results

EGCG as well as apigenin, quercetin, baicalin, and glutathione were identified as capping ligands stabilized on the surface of GT-Au NPs. They more or less inhibited Aβ42 aggregation or promoted fibril disaggregation, with EGCG being the most effective, which bound to Aβ42 through hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, etc. resulting in 39.86% and 88.50% inhibition of aggregation and disaggregation effects, respectively. EGCG-Au NPs were not as effective as free EGCG, whereas multiple thiols and polyphenols in green tea accelerated and optimized heavy metal detoxification. The synthesized GT-Au NPs conferred the efficacy of diverse ligands to the particles, with inhibition of aggregation and disaggregation effects of 54.69% and 88.75%, respectively, while increasing the yield, enhancing water solubility, and decreasing cost.

Conclusion

Biosynthesis of nanoparticles using green tea is a promising simple and economical drug-carrying approach to confer multiple pharmacophore molecules to Au NPs. This could be used to design new drug candidates to treat Alzheimer's disease.

Hopping the Hurdle: Strategies to Enhance the Molecular Delivery to the Brain through the Blood-Brain Barrier

Modern medicine has allowed for many advances in neurological and neurodegenerative disease (ND). However, the number of patients suffering from brain diseases is ever increasing and the treatment of brain diseases remains an issue, as drug efficacy is dramatically reduced due to the existence of the unique vascular structure, namely the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Several approaches to enhance drug delivery to the brain have been investigated but many have proven to be unsuccessful due to limited transport or damage induced in the BBB. Alternative approaches to enhance molecular delivery to the brain have been revealed in recent studies through the existence of molecular delivery pathways that regulate the passage of peripheral molecules. In this review, we present recent advancements of the basic research for these delivery pathways as well as examples of promising ventures to overcome the molecular hurdles that will enhance therapeutic interventions in the brain and potentially save the lives of millions of patients.

Multifunctional Nanocarriers for Alzheimer's Disease: Befriending the Barriers

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) have been increasing in incidence in recent years and are now widespread worldwide. Neuronal death is defined as the progressive loss of neuronal structure or function which is closely associated with NDDs and represents the intrinsic features of such disorders. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases (AD, PD, and HD, respectively) are considered neurodegenerative diseases that affect a large number of people worldwide. Despite the testing of various drugs, there is currently no available therapy that can remedy or effectively slow the progression of these diseases. Nanomedicine has the potential to revolutionize drug delivery for the management of NDDs. The use of nanoparticles (NPs) has recently been developed to improve drug delivery efficiency and is currently subjected to extensive studies. Nanoengineered particles, known as nanodrugs, can cross the blood-brain barrier while also being less invasive compared to the most treatment strategies in use. Polymeric, magnetic, carbonic, and inorganic NPs are examples of NPs that have been developed to improve drug delivery efficiency. Primary research studies using NPs to cure AD are promising, but thorough research is needed to introduce these approaches to clinical use. In the present review, we discussed the role of metal-based NPs, polymeric nanogels, nanocarrier systems such as liposomes, solid lipid NPs, polymeric NPs, exosomes, quantum dots, dendrimers, polymersomes, carbon nanotubes, and nanofibers and surfactant-based systems for the therapy of neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, we highlighted nanoformulations such as N-butyl cyanoacrylate, poly(butyl cyanoacrylate), D-penicillamine, citrate-coated peptide, magnetic iron oxide, chitosan (CS), lipoprotein, ceria, silica, metallic nanoparticles, cholinesterase inhibitors, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, metal chelators, anti-amyloid, protein, and peptide-loaded NPs for the treatment of AD.

Emerging trends in chiral inorganic nanomaterials for enantioselective catalysis

Asymmetric transformations and synthesis have garnered considerable interest in recent decades due to the extensive need for chiral organic compounds in biomedical, agrochemical, chemical, and food industries. The field of chiral inorganic catalysts, garnering considerable interest for its contributions to asymmetric organic transformations, has witnessed remarkable advancements and emerged as a highly innovative research area. Here, we review the latest developments in this dynamic and emerging field to comprehensively understand the advances in chiral inorganic nanocatalysts and stimulate further progress in asymmetric catalysis.

Modulation by Co (II) Ion of Optical Activities of L/D-glutathione (GSH)-modified Chiral Copper Nanoclusters for Sensitive Adenosine Triphosphate Detection

Chiral nanoscale enantiomers exhibit different biological effects in living systems. However, their chirality effect on the detection sensitivity for chiral biological targets still needs to be explored. Here, we discovered that Co2+ can modulate the luminescence performance of L/D-glutathione (GSH)-modified copper nanoclusters (L/D-Cu NCs) and induce strong chiroptical activities as the asymmetric factor was enhanced 223-fold with their distribution regulating from the ultraviolet to visible region. One Co2+ coordinated with two GSH molecules that modified on the surface of Cu NCs in the way of CoN2O2. On this basis, dual-modal chiral and luminescent signals of Co2+ coordinated L/D-Cu NCs (L/D-Co-Cu NCs) were used to detect the chiral adenosine triphosphate (ATP) based on the competitive interaction between surficial GSH and ATP molecules with Co2+. The limits of detection of ATP obtained with fluorescence and circular dichroism intensity were 9.15 μM and 15.75 nM for L-Co-Cu NCs, and 5.35 μM and 4.69 nM for D-Co-Cu NCs. This demonstrated that selecting suitable chiral configurations of nanoprobes effectively enhances detection sensitivity. This study presents not only a novel method to modulate and enhance the chiroptical activity of nanomaterials but also a unique perspective of chirality effects on the detection performances for bio-targets.

The Mechanism of Manipulating Chirality and Chiral Sensing Based on Chiral Plexcitons in a Strong-Coupling Regime

Manipulating plasmonic chirality has shown promising applications in nanophotonics, stereochemistry, chirality sensing, and biomedicine. However, to reconfigure plasmonic chirality, the strategy of constructing chiral plasmonic systems with a tunable morphology is cumbersome and complicated to apply for integrated devices. Here, we present a simple and effective method that can also manipulate chirality and control chiral light-matter interactions only via strong coupling between chiral plasmonic nanoparticles and excitons. This paper presents a chiral plexcitonic system consisting of L-shaped nanorod dimers and achiral molecule excitons. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra in our strong-coupling system can be calculated by finite element method simulations. We found that the formation of the chiral plexcitons can significantly modulate the CD spectra, including the appearance of new hybridized peaks, double Rabi splitting, and bisignate anti-crossing behaviors. This phenomenon can be explained by our extended coupled-mode theory. Moreover, we explored the applications of this method in enantiomer ratio sensing by using the properties of the CD spectra. We found a strong linear dependence of the CD spectra on the enantiomer ratio. Our work provides a facile and efficient method to modulate the chirality of nanosystems, deepens our understanding of chiral plexcitons in nanosystems, and facilitates the development of chiral devices and chiral sensing.

Fabrication and characterization of gold nanoparticles using alginate: In vitro and in vivo assessment of its administration effects with swimming exercise on diabetic rats

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have unique features that might lead to the development of a new class of diabetic medicines. AuNPs were biosynthesized utilizing sodium-alginate. UV-Vis-spectroscopy, Fourier transforms infrared, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy dispersive X-ray were used to examine the particles. The potential of AuNPs for improving the diabetes condition was examined along with swimming in rats. FESEM image revealed the spherical morphology with an average particle size of 106.6 ± 20.8 nm. In the diabetic group, serum glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, cholesterol, and triglyceride (TG) levels were significantly higher than the control group. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was significantly higher and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) was significantly lower in the diabetic group compared to the control group. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were also significantly higher in the D group. However, in the groups treated with swimming and gold, these parameters were significantly improved. Specifically, serum-glucose, BUN, creatinine, cholesterol, and TG levels were significantly reduced, while LDL was significantly decreased in the diabetic + swimming + AuNPs group and HDL was significantly increased in the diabetic + AuNPs group. MDA levels were significantly decreased in the treated groups, and other antioxidants were significantly improved in the diabetic + swimming + AuNPs group. Catalase levels were also significantly improved in the D + gold group. It can be concluded that both AuNPs and swimming can decrease diabetic complications.

Cu2+-Dominated Chirality Transfer from Chiral Molecules to Concave Chiral Au Nanoparticles

Foreign ions as additives are of great significance for realizing excellent control over the morphology of noble metal nanostructures in the state-of-the-art seed-mediated growth method; however, they remain largely unexplored in chiral synthesis. Here, we report on a Cu2+-dominated chiral growth strategy that can direct the growth of concave chiral Au nanoparticles with C3-dominant chiral centers. The introduction of trace amounts of Cu2+ ions in the seed-mediated chiral growth process is found to dominate the chirality transfer from chiral molecules to chiral nanoparticles, leading to the formation of chiral nanoparticles with a concave VC geometry. Both experimental and theoretical results further demonstrate the correlation between the nanoparticle structure and optical chirality for the concave chiral nanoparticle. The Cu2+ ion is found to dominate the chiral growth by selectively activating the deposition of Au atoms along the [110] and [111] directions, facilitating the formation of the concave VC. We further demonstrate that the Cu2+-dominated chiral growth strategy can be employed to generate a variety of concave chiral nanoparticles with enriched geometric chirality and desired chiroptical properties. Concave chiral nanoparticles also exhibit appealing catalytic activity and selectivity toward electrocatalytic oxidation of enantiomers in comparison to helicoidal nanoparticles. The ability to tune the geometric chirality in a controlled manner by simply manipulating the Cu2+ ions as additives opens up a promising strategy for creating chiral nanomaterials with increasing architectural diversity for chirality-dependent optical and catalytic applications.

Neuroglia targeting nano-therapeutic approaches to rescue aging and neurodegenerating brain

Despite intense efforts at the bench, the development of successful brain-targeting therapeutics to relieve malicious neural diseases remains primitive. The brain, being a beautifully intricate organ, consists of heterogeneous arrays of neuronal and glial cells. Primarily acting as the support system for neuronal functioning and maturation, glial cells have been observed to be engaged more apparently in the progression and worsening of various neural pathologies. The diseased state is often related to metabolic alterations in glial cells, thereby modulating their physiological homeostasis in conjunction with neuronal dysfunction. A plethora of data indicates the effect of oxidative stress, protein aggregation, and DNA damage in neuroglia impairments. Still, a deeper insight is needed to gain a conflict-free understanding in this arena. As a consequence, glial cells hold the potential to be identified as promising targets for novel therapeutic approaches aimed at brain protection. In this review, we describe the recent strides taken in the direction of understanding the impact of oxidative stress, protein aggregation, and DNA damage on neuroglia impairment and neuroglia-directed nanotherapeutic approaches to mitigate the burden of various neural disorders.

Tri-mode Responses to Reactive Oxygen Species In Vivo by Chiral Vanadium-Based Nanoparticles

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are closely associated with the redox balance of the physiological environment, and monitoring ROS can aid in the early diagnosis of many diseases, including cancer. In this study, chiral vanadium trioxide/vanadium nitride (V2O3/VN) nanoparticles (NPs) modified with an organic dye (cyanine 3 [Cy3]) were prepared for ROS sensing. Chiral V2O3/VN NPs were prepared with the "ligand-induced chirality" strategy and showed a g-factor of up to 0.12 at a wavelength of 512 nm. To the best of our knowledge, this g-factor is the highest value of all chiral ceramic nanomaterials. The very high g-factor of the nanoprobe confers very high sensitivity, because the higher g-factor, the higher sensitivity. In the presence of ROS, V3+ in the chiral V2O3/VN nanoprobe undergoes a redox reaction to form V2O5, reducing the circular dichroism and absorbance signals, whereas the fluorescence signal of Cy3 is restored. With this nanoprobe, the limits of detection for the circular dichroic and fluorescence signals in living cells are 0.0045 nmol/106 and 0.018 nmol/106 cells, respectively. This chiral nanoprobe can also monitor ROS levels in vivo by fluorescence. This strategy provides an innovative approach to the detection of ROS and is expected to promote the wider application of chiral nanomaterials for biosensing.

Tuning the Geometry and Optical Chirality of Pentatwinned Au Nanoparticles with 5-Fold Rotational Symmetry

Chirality transfer from chiral molecules to chiral nanomaterials represents an important topic for exploring the origin of chirality in many natural and artificial systems. Moreover, developing a promising class of chiral nanomaterials holds great significance for various applications, including sensing, photonics, catalysis, and biomedicine. Here we demonstrate the geometric control and tunable optical chirality of chiral pentatwinned Au nanoparticles with 5-fold rotational symmetry using the seed-mediated chiral growth method. A distinctive growth pathway and optical chirality are observed using pentatwinned decahedra as seeds, in comparison with the single-crystal Au seeds. By employing different peptides as chiral inducers, pentatwinned Au nanoparticles with two distinct geometric chirality (pentagonal nanostars and pentagonal prisms) are obtained. The intriguing formation and evolution of geometric chirality with the twinned structure are analyzed from a crystallographic perspective upon maneuvering the interplay of chiral molecules, surfactants, and reducing agents. Moreover, the interesting effects of the molecular structure of peptides on tuning the geometric chirality of pentatwinned Au nanoparticles are also explored. Finally, we theoretically and experimentally investigate the far-field and near-field optical properties of chiral pentatwinned Au nanoparticles through numerical simulations and single-particle chiroptical measurements. The ability to tune the geometric chirality in a controlled manner represents an important step toward the development of chiral nanomaterials with increasing architectural complexity for chiroptical applications.

Current Insights of Nanocarrier-Mediated Gene Therapeutics to Treat Potential Impairment of Amyloid Beta Protein and Tau Protein in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD), is the major type of dementia and most progressive, irreversible widespread neurodegenerative disorder affecting the elderly worldwide. The prime hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are beta-amyloid plaques (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). In spite of recent advances and developments in targeting the hallmarks of AD, symptomatic medications that promise neuroprotective activity against AD are currently unable to treat degenerating brain clinically or therapeutically and show little efficacy. The extensive progress of AD therapies over time has resulted in the advent of disease-modifying medications with the potential to alleviate AD. However, due to the presence of a defensive connection between the vascular system and the neural tissues known as the blood-brain barrier (BBB), directing these medications to the site of action in the degenerating brain is the key problem. BBB acts as a highly selective semipermeable membrane that prevents any type of foreign substance from entering the microenvironment of neurons. To overcome this limitation, the revolutionary approach of nanoparticle(NP)/nanocarrier-mediated drug delivery system has marked the era with its unique property to cross, avoid, or disrupt the defensive BBB efficiently and release the modified drug at the target site of action. After comprehensive data mining, this review focuses on the detailed understanding of different types of nanoparticle(NP)/nanocarrier-mediated drug delivery system like liposomes, micelles, gold nanoparticles(NP), polymeric NPs, etc. which have promising potential in carrying the desired drug(cargo) to the location in the degenerated brain thus mitigating the Alzheimer's disease.

AuNPs with Cynara scolymus leaf extracts rescue arsenic-induced neurobehavioral deficits and hippocampal tissue toxicity in Balb/c mice through D1R and D2R activation

The present study was designed to evaluate whether AuNPs (gold nanoparticles) synthesized with the Cynara scolymus (CS) leaf exert protective and/or alleviative effects on arsenic (As)-induced hippocampal neurotoxicity in mice. Neurotoxicity in mice was developed by orally treating 10 mg/kg/day sodium arsenite (NaAsO2) for 21 days. 10 µg/g AuNPs, 1.6 g/kg CS, and 10 µg/g CS-AuNPs were administered orally simultaneously with 10 mg/kg As. CS and CS-AuNPs treatments showed down-regulation of TNF-α and IL-1β levels. CS and CS-AuNPs also ameliorated apoptosis and reduced the alterations in the expression levels of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors induced by As. Simultaneous treatment with CS and CS-AuNPs improved As-induced learning, memory deficits, and motor coordination in mice assessed by water maze and locomotor tests, respectively. The results of this study provide evidence that CS-AuNPs demonstrated neuroprotective roles with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects, as well as improving D1 and D2 signaling, and eventually reversed neurobehavioral impairments.

Nanotherapeutics for Alleviating Anesthesia-Associated Complications

Current management of anesthesia-associated complications falls short in terms of both efficacy and safety. Nanomaterials with versatile properties and unique nano-bio interactions hold substantial promise as therapeutics for addressing these complications. This review conducts a thorough examination of the existing nanotherapeutics and highlights the strategies for developing prospective nanomedicines to mitigate anesthetics-related toxicity. Initially, general, regional, and local anesthesia along with the commonly used anesthetics and related prevalent side effects are introduced. Furthermore, employing nanotechnology to prevent and alleviate the complications of anesthetics is systematically demonstrated from three aspects, that is, developing 1) safe nano-formulization for anesthetics; 2) nano-antidotes to sequester overdosed anesthetics and alter their pharmacokinetics; 3) nanomedicines with pharmacodynamic activities to treat anesthetics toxicity. Finally, the prospects and challenges facing the clinical translation of nanotherapeutics for anesthesia-related complications are discussed. This work provides a comprehensive roadmap for developing effective nanotherapeutics to prevent and mitigate anesthesia-associated toxicity, which can potentially revolutionize the management of anesthesia complications.

Neuromodulation by nanozymes and ultrasound during Alzheimer's disease management

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with complex pathogenesis and effective clinical treatment strategies for this disease remain elusive. Interestingly, nanomedicines are under extensive investigation for AD management. Currently, existing redox molecules show highly bioactive property but suffer from instability and high production costs, limiting clinical application for neurological diseases. Compared with natural enzymes, artificial enzymes show high stability, long-lasting catalytic activity, and versatile enzyme-like properties. Further, the selectivity and performance of artificial enzymes can be modulated for neuroinflammation treatments through external stimuli. In this review, we focus on the latest developments of metal, metal oxide, carbon-based and polymer based nanozymes and their catalytic mechanisms. Recent developments in nanozymes for diagnosing and treating AD are emphasized, especially focusing on their potential to regulate pathogenic factors and target sites. Various applications of nanozymes with different stimuli-responsive features were discussed, particularly focusing on nanozymes for treating oxidative stress-related neurological diseases. Noninvasiveness and focused application to deep body regions makes ultrasound (US) an attractive trigger mechanism for nanomedicine. Since a complete cure for AD remains distant, this review outlines the potential of US responsive nanozymes to develop future therapeutic approaches for this chronic neurodegenerative disease and its emergence in AD management.

Multi-Omics Reveals the Genetic and Metabolomic Architecture of Chirality Directed Stem Cell Lineage Diversification

Chirality-directed stem-cell-fate determination involves coordinated transcriptional and metabolomics programming that is only partially understood. Here, using high-throughput transcriptional-metabolic profiling and pipeline network analysis, the molecular architecture of chirality-guided mesenchymal stem cell lineage diversification is revealed. A total of 4769 genes and 250 metabolites are identified that are significantly biased by the biomimetic chiral extracellular microenvironment (ECM). Chirality-dependent energetic metabolism analysis has revealed that glycolysis is preferred during left-handed ECM-facilitated osteogenic differentiation, whereas oxidative phosphorylation is favored during right-handed ECM-promoted adipogenic differentiation. Stereo-specificity in the global metabolite landscape is also demonstrated, in which amino acids are enriched in left-handed ECM, while ether lipids and nucleotides are enriched in right-handed ECM. Furthermore, chirality-ordered transcriptomic-metabolic regulatory networks are established, which address the role of positive feedback loops between key genes and central metabolites in driving lineage diversification. The highly integrated genotype-phenotype picture of stereochemical selectivity would provide the fundamental principle of regenerative material design.

Chiral nanomaterial-based approaches for diagnosis and treatment of protein-aggregated neurodiseases: current status and future opportunities

Protein misfolding and its aggregation, known as amyloid aggregates (Aβ), are some of the major causes of more than 20 diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and type 2 diabetes. The process of Aβ formation involves an energy-driven oligomerization of Aβ monomers, leading to polymerization and eventual aggregation into fibrils. Aβ fibrils exhibit multilevel chirality arising from its amino acid residues and the arrangement of folded polypeptide chains; thus, a chirality-driven approach can be utilized for the detection and inhibition of Aβ fibrils. In this regard, chiral nanomaterials have recently opened new possibilities for various biomedical applications owing to their stereoselective interaction with biological systems. Leveraging this chirality-driven approach with chiral nanomaterials against protein-aggregated diseases could yield promising results, particularly in the early detection of Aβ forms and the inhibition of Aβ aggregate formation via specific and strong "chiral-chiral interaction." Despite the advantages, the development of advanced theranostic systems using chiral nanomaterials against protein-aggregated diseases has received limited attention so far because of considerably limited formulations for chiral nanomaterials and lack of information of their chiroptical behavior. This review aims to present the current status of chiral nanomaterials explored for detecting and inhibiting Aβ forms. This review covers the origin of chirality in amyloid fibrils and nanomaterials and different chiral detection methods; furthermore, different chiral nanosystems such as chiral plasmonic nanomaterials, chiral carbon-based nanomaterials, and chiral nanosurfaces, which have been used so far for different therapeutic applications against protein-aggregated diseases, are discussed in detail. The findings from this review may pave the way for the development of novel approaches using chiral nanomaterials to combat diseases resulting from protein misfolding and can further be extended to other disease forms.

Gold Nanoparticles in Neurological Diseases: A Review of Neuroprotection

This review explores the diverse applications of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in neurological diseases, with a specific focus on Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and stroke. The introduction highlights the pivotal role of neuroinflammation in these disorders and introduces the unique properties of AuNPs. The review's core examines the mechanisms by which AuNPs exert neuroprotection and anti-neuro-inflammatory effects, elucidating various pathways through which they manifest these properties. The potential therapeutic applications of AuNPs in AD are discussed, shedding light on promising avenues for therapy. This review also explores the prospects of utilizing AuNPs in PD interventions, presenting a hopeful outlook for future treatments. Additionally, the review delves into the potential of AuNPs in providing neuroprotection after strokes, emphasizing their significance in mitigating cerebrovascular accidents' aftermath. Experimental findings from cellular and animal models are consolidated to provide a comprehensive overview of AuNPs' effectiveness, offering insights into their impact at both the cellular and in vivo levels. This review enhances our understanding of AuNPs' applications in neurological diseases and lays the groundwork for innovative therapeutic strategies in neurology.

Nanophotonic Enhanced Chiral Sensing and Its Biomedical Applications

Chiral sensing is crucial in the fields of biology and the pharmaceutical industry. Many naturally occurring biomolecules, i.e., amino acids, sugars, and nucleotides, are inherently chiral. Their enantiomers are strongly associated with the pharmacological effects of chiral drugs. Owing to the extremely weak chiral light-matter interactions, chiral sensing at an optical frequency is challenging, especially when trace amounts of molecules are involved. The nanophotonic platform allows for a stronger interaction between the chiral molecules and light to enhance chiral sensing. Here, we review the recent progress in nanophotonic-enhanced chiral sensing, with a focus on the superchiral near-field and enhanced circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy generated in both the dielectric and in plasmonic structures. In addition, the recent applications of chiral sensing in biomedical fields are discussed, including the detection and treatment of difficult diseases, i.e., Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Green and Red Emissive N,O-Doped Chiral Carbon Dots Functionalized with l-Cysteine

Although chirality plays an important role in the natural world, it has also attracted much scientific attention in nanotechnology, in particular, spintronics and bioapplications. Chiral carbon dots (CDs) are promising nanoparticles for sensing and bioimaging since they are biocompatible, ecofriendly, and free from toxic elements. Herein, green and red emissive chiral CDs are fabricated via surface modification treatment of achiral CDs at room temperature. After modification with l-cysteine molecules, the treated CDs demonstrate an intense chiral signal in the region of 200-300 nm with a dissymmetry factor up to 2.3 × 10-4 and high photoluminescence quantum yields of 19% and 15% for green and red emission bands, respectively. These CDs preserve their chiral signal in different ion systems, such as those with pH changes or in the presence of metal ions, along with remarkably low cytotoxicity, making them potential candidates for use as photoluminescent labels for biological objects.

Application of Nanocomposites and Nanoparticles in Treating Neurodegenerative Disorders

Neurodegenerative diseases represent a formidable global health challenge, affecting millions and imposing substantial burdens on healthcare systems worldwide. Conditions, like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases, among others, share common characteristics, such as neuronal loss, misfolded protein aggregation, and nervous system dysfunction. One of the major obstacles in treating these diseases is the presence of the blood-brain barrier, limiting the delivery of therapeutic agents to the central nervous system. Nanotechnology offers promising solutions to overcome these challenges. In Alzheimer's disease, NPs loaded with various compounds have shown remarkable promise in preventing amyloid-beta (Aβ) aggregation and reducing neurotoxicity. Parkinson's disease benefits from improved dopamine delivery and neuroprotection. Huntington's disease poses its own set of challenges, but nanotechnology continues to offer innovative solutions. The promising developments in nanoparticle-based interventions for neurodegenerative diseases, like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple sclerosis (MS), have offered new avenues for effective treatment. Nanotechnology represents a promising frontier in biomedical research, offering tailored solutions to the complex challenges posed by neurodegenerative diseases. While much progress has been made, ongoing research is essential to optimize nanomaterial designs, improve targeting, and ensure biocompatibility and safety. Nanomaterials possess unique properties that make them excellent candidates for targeted drug delivery and neuroprotection. They can effectively bypass the blood-brain barrier, opening doors to precise drug delivery strategies. This review explores the extensive research on nanoparticles (NPs) and nanocomposites in diagnosing and treating neurodegenerative disorders. These nanomaterials exhibit exceptional abilities to target neurodegenerative processes and halt disease progression.

Enhancing paracellular and transcellular permeability using nanotechnological approaches for the treatment of brain and retinal diseases

Paracellular permeability across epithelial and endothelial cells is, in large part, regulated by apical intercellular junctions also referred to as tight junctions (TJs). These junctions contribute to the spatial definition of different tissue compartments within organisms, separating them from the outside world as well as from inner compartments, with their primary physiological role of maintaining tissue homeostasis. TJs restrict the free, passive diffusion of ions and hydrophilic small molecules through paracellular clefts and are important for appropriate cell polarization and transporter protein localisation, supporting the controlled transcellular diffusion of smaller and larger hydrophilic as well as hydrophobic substances. This traditional diffusion barrier concept of TJs has been challenged lately, owing to a better understanding of the components that are associated with TJs. It is now well-established that mutations in TJ proteins are associated with a range of human diseases and that a change in the membrane fluidity of neighbouring cells can open possibilities for therapeutics to cross intercellular junctions. Nanotechnological approaches, exploiting ultrasound or hyperosmotic agents and permeation enhancers, are the paradigm for achieving enhanced paracellular diffusion. The other widely used transport route of drugs is via transcellular transport, allowing the passage of a variety of pro-drugs and nanoparticle-encapsulated drugs via different mechanisms based on receptors and others. For a long time, there was an expectation that lipidic nanocarriers and polymeric nanostructures could revolutionize the field for the delivery of RNA and protein-based therapeutics across different biological barriers equipped with TJs (e.g., blood-brain barrier (BBB), retina-blood barrier (RBB), corneal TJs, etc.). However, only a limited increase in therapeutic efficiency has been reported for most systems until now. The purpose of this review is to explore the reasons behind the current failures and to examine the emergence of synthetic and cell-derived nanomaterials and nanotechnological approaches as potential game-changers in enhancing drug delivery to target locations both at and across TJs using innovative concepts. Specifically, we will focus on recent advancements in various nanotechnological strategies enabling the bypassing or temporally opening of TJs to the brain and to the retina, and discuss their advantages and limitations.

Nano biomaterials based strategies for enhanced brain targeting in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases: an up-to-date perspective

Neurons and their connecting axons gradually degenerate in neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), leading to dysfunctionality of the neuronal cells and eventually their death. Drug delivery for the treatment of effected nervous system is notoriously complicated because of the presence of natural barriers, i.e., the blood-brain barrier and the blood cerebrospinal fluid barrier. Palliative care is currently the standard care for many diseases. Therefore, treatment programs that target the disease's origin rather than its symptoms are recommended. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery platforms offer an innovative way to circumvent these obstacles and deliver medications directly to the central nervous system, thereby enabling treatment of several common neurological problems, i.e., Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Interestingly, the combination of nanomedicine and gene therapy enables targeting of selective mutant genes responsible for the progression of NDs, which may provide a much-needed boost in the struggle against these diseases. Herein, we discussed various central nervous system delivery obstacles, followed by a detailed insight into the recently developed techniques to restore neurological function via the differentiation of neural stem cells. Moreover, a comprehensive background on the role of nanomedicine in controlling neurogenesis via differentiation of neural stem cells is explained. Additionally, numerous phytoconstituents with their neuroprotective properties and molecular targets in the identification and management of NDs are also deliberated. Furthermore, a detailed insight of the ongoing clinical trials and currently marketed products for the treatment of NDs is provided in this manuscript.

In silico description of the adsorption of cell signaling pathway proteins ovalbumin, glutathione, LC3, TLR4, ASC PYCARD, PI3K and NF-Kβ on 7.0 nm gold nanoparticles: obtaining their Lennard-Jones-like potentials through docking and molecular mechanics

The impact of vaccination on the world's population is difficult to calculate. For developing different types of vaccines, adjuvants are substances added to vaccines to increase the magnitude and durability of the immune response and the effectiveness of the vaccine. This work explores the potential use of spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as adjuvants. Thus, we employed docking techniques and molecular mechanics to describe how a AuNP 7.0 nm in diameter interacts with cell signaling pathway proteins. Initially, we used X-ray crystallization data of the proteins ovalbumin, glutathione, LC3, TLR4, ASC PYCARD, PI3K, and NF-Kβ to study the adsorption with an AuNP through molecular docking. Therefore, interaction energies were obtained for the AuNP complexes and individual proteins, as well as the AuNP and OVA complex (AuNP@OVA) with each cellular protein, respectively. Results showed that AuNPs had the highest affinity for OVA individually, followed by glutathione, ASC PYCARD domain, LC3, PI3K, NF-Kβ, and TLR4. Furthermore, when evaluating the AuNP@OVA complex, glutathione showed a greater affinity with more potent interaction energy when compared to the other studied systems.

Probing Interactions between Chiral Plasmonic Nanoparticles and Biomolecules

Chiral plasmonic nanoparticles (and their assemblies) interact with biomolecules in a variety of different ways, resulting in distinct optical signatures when probed by circular dichroism spectroscopy. These systems show promise for biosensing applications and offer several advantages over achiral plasmonic systems. Arguably the most notable advantage is that chiral nanoparticles can differentiate between molecular enantiomers and can, therefore, act as sensors for enantiomeric purity. Furthermore, chiral nanoparticles can couple more effectively to chiral biomolecules in biological systems if they have a matching handedness, improving their effectiveness as biomedical agents. In this article, we review the different types of interactions that occur between chiral plasmonic nanoparticle systems and biomolecules, and discuss how circular dichroism spectroscopy can probe these interactions and inform how to optimize systems for biosensing and biomedical applications.

Chiral nanoparticle-remodeled gut microbiota alleviates neurodegeneration via the gut-brain axis

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by amyloid-β accumulation in the brain and hyperphosphorylated tau aggregation, as well as neuroinflammation. The gut-brain axis has emerged as a therapeutic target in neurodegenerative diseases by modulating metabolic activity, neuroimmune functions and sensory neuronal signaling. Here we investigate interactions between orally ingested chiral Au nanoparticles and the gut microbiota in AD mice. Oral administration of chiral Au nanoparticles restored cognitive abilities and ameliorated amyloid-β and hyperphosphorylated tau pathologies in AD mice via alterations in the gut microbiome composition and an increase in the gut metabolite, indole-3-acetic acid, which was lower in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with AD compared with age-matched controls. Oral administration of indole-3-acetic acid was able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and alleviated cognitive decline and pathology including neuroinflammation in AD mice. These findings provide a promising therapeutic target for the amelioration of neuroinflammation and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Fullerenols Mitigate Radiation-Induced Myocardial Injury

Radiation-induced heart disease is a serious side effect of radiation therapy that can lead to severe consequences. However, effective and safe methods for their prevention and treatment are presently lacking. This study reports the crucial function of fullerenols in protecting cardiomyocytes from radiation injury. First, fullerenols are synthesized using a simple base-catalyzed method. Next, the as-prepared fullerenols are applied as an effective free radical scavenger and broad-spectrum antioxidant to protect against X-ray-induced cardiomyocyte injury. Their ability to reduce apoptosis via the mitochondrial signaling pathway at the cellular level is then verified. Finally, it is observed in animal models that fullerenols accumulate in the heart and alleviate myocardial damage induced by X-rays. This study represents a timely and essential analysis of the prevention and treatment of radiological myocardial injury, providing new insights into the applications of fullerenols for therapeutic strategies.

Role of Nanoparticle-Conjugates and Nanotheranostics in Abrogating Oxidative Stress and Ameliorating Neuroinflammation

Oxidative stress is a deteriorating condition that arises due to an imbalance between the reactive oxygen species and the antioxidant system or defense of the body. The key reasons for the development of such conditions are malfunctioning of various cell organelles, such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi complex, as well as physical and mental disturbances. The nervous system has a relatively high utilization of oxygen, thus making it particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress, which eventually leads to neuronal atrophy and death. This advances the development of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration-associated disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, dementia, and other memory disorders. It is imperative to treat such conditions as early as possible before they worsen and progress to irreversible damage. Oxidative damage can be negated by two mechanisms: improving the cellular defense system or providing exogenous antioxidants. Natural antioxidants can normally handle such oxidative stress, but they have limited efficacy. The valuable features of nanoparticles and/or nanomaterials, in combination with antioxidant features, offer innovative nanotheranostic tools as potential therapeutic modalities. Hence, this review aims to represent novel therapeutic approaches like utilizing nanoparticles with antioxidant properties and nanotheranostics as delivery systems for potential therapeutic applications in various neuroinflammation- and neurodegeneration-associated disease conditions.

Current emerging novel therapies for Alzheimer's disease and the future prospects of magneto-mechanical force therapy

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease among the elderly, and the morbidity increases with the aging population aggravation. The clinical symptoms of AD mainly include cognitive impairment and memory loss, which undoubtedly bring a huge burden to families and society. Currently, the drugs in clinical use only improve the symptoms of AD but do not cure or prevent the progression of the disease. Therefore, it is urgent for us to develop novel therapeutic strategies for effective AD treatment. To provide a better theoretical basis for exploring novel therapeutic strategies in future AD treatment, this review introduces the recent AD treatment technologies from three aspects, including nanoparticle (NP) based drug therapy, biological therapy and physical therapy. The nanoparticle-mediated therapeutic approaches at the nanomaterial-neural interface and biological system are described in detail, and in particular the magneto-regulated strategies by magnetic field actuating magnetic nanoparticles are highlighted. Promising application of magneto-mechanical force regulated strategy in future AD treatment is also addressed, which offer possibilities for the remote manipulation in a precise manner. In the future, it may be possible for physicians to realize a remote, precise and effective therapy for AD using magneto-mechanical force regulated technology based on the combination of magnetic nanoparticles and an external magnetic field.

Advancements in the Application of Nanomedicine in Alzheimer's Disease: A Therapeutic Perspective

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects most people worldwide. AD is a complex central nervous system disorder. Several drugs have been designed to cure AD, but with low success rates. Because the blood-brain and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barriers are two barriers that protect the central nervous system, their presence has severely restricted the efficacy of many treatments that have been studied for AD diagnosis and/or therapy. The use of nanoparticles for the diagnosis and treatment of AD is the focus of an established and rapidly developing field of nanomedicine. Recent developments in nanomedicine have made it possible to effectively transport drugs to the brain. However, numerous obstacles remain to the successful use of nanomedicines in clinical settings for AD treatment. Furthermore, given the rapid advancement in nanomedicine therapeutics, better outcomes for patients with AD can be anticipated. This article provides an overview of recent developments in nanomedicine using different types of nanoparticles for the management and treatment of AD.

Unique Chirality Selection in Neural Cells for D-Matrix Enabling Specific Manipulation of Cell Behaviors

Manipulating neural cell behaviors is a critical issue to various therapies for neurological diseases and damages, where matrix chirality has long been overlooked despite the proven adhesion and proliferation improvement of multiple non-neural cells by L-matrixes. Here, it is reported that the D-matrix chirality specifically enhances cell density, viability, proliferation, and survival in four different types of neural cells, contrasting its inhibition in non-neural cells. This universal impact on neural cells is defined as "chirality selection for D-matrix" and is achieved through the activation of JNK and p38/MAPK signaling pathways by the cellular tension relaxation resulting from the weak interaction between D-matrix and cytoskeleton proteins, particularly actin. Also, D-matrix promotes sciatic nerve repair effectively, both with or without non-neural stem cell implantation, by improving the population, function, and myelination of autologous Schwann cells. D-matrix chirality, as a simple, safe, and effective microenvironment cue to specifically and universally manipulate neural cell behaviors, holds extensive application potential in addressing neurological issues such as nerve regeneration, neurodegenerative disease treatment, neural tumor targeting, and neurodevelopment.

Advances in Alzheimer's Disease-Associated Aβ Therapy Based on Peptide

Alzheimer's disease (AD) urgently needs innovative treatments due to the increasing aging population and lack of effective drugs and therapies. The amyloid fibrosis of AD-associated β-amyloid (Aβ) that could induce a series of cascades, such as oxidative stress and inflammation, is a critical factor in the progression of AD. Recently, peptide-based therapies for AD are expected to be great potential strategies for the high specificity to the targets, low toxicity, fast blood clearance, rapid cell and tissue permeability, and superior biochemical characteristics. Specifically, various chiral amino acids or peptide-modified interfaces draw much attention as effective manners to inhibit Aβ fibrillation. On the other hand, peptide-based inhibitors could be obtained through affinity screening such as phage display or by rational design based on the core sequence of Aβ fibrosis or by computer aided drug design based on the structure of Aβ. These peptide-based therapies can inhibit Aβ fibrillation and reduce cytotoxicity induced by Aβ aggregation and some have been shown to relieve cognition in AD model mice and reduce Aβ plaques in mice brains. This review summarizes the design method and characteristics of peptide inhibitors and their effect on the amyloid fibrosis of Aβ. We further describe some analysis methods for evaluating the inhibitory effect and point out the challenges in these areas, and possible directions for the design of AD drugs based on peptides, which lay the foundation for the development of new effective drugs in the future.

Gold and silver nanoparticles in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diagnostics and treatments

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) impose substantial medical and public health burdens on people worldwide and represent one of the major threats to human health. The prevalence of these age-dependent disorders is dramatically increasing over time, a process intrinsically related to a constantly rising percentage of the elderly population in recent years. Among all the NDs, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are considered the most debilitating as they cause memory and cognitive loss, as well as severely affecting basic physiological conditions such as the ability to move, speak, and breathe. There is an extreme need for new and more effective therapies to counteract these devastating diseases, as the available treatments are only able to slow down the pathogenic process without really stopping or resolving it. This review aims to elucidate the current nanotechnology-based tools representing a future hope for NDs treatment. Noble metal nano-systems, that is, gold and silver nanoparticles (NPs), have indeed unique physicochemical characteristics enabling them to deliver any pharmacological treatment in a more effective way within the central nervous system. This can potentially make NPs a new hope for reversing the actual therapeutic strategy based on slowing down an irreversible process into a more effective and permanent treatment.

Metal Nanoparticles in Alzheimer's Disease

Nanotechnology has emerged in different fields of biomedical application, including lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease, and different types of cancers. Metal nanoparticles are one of the most used drug delivery systems due to the benefits of their enhanced physicochemical properties as compared to bulk metals. Neurodegenerative diseases are the second most cause affecting mortality worldwide after cancer. Hence, they require the most specific and targeted drug delivery systems for maximum therapeutic benefits. Metal nanoparticles are the preferred drug delivery system, possessing greater blood-brain barrier permeability, biocompatibility, and enhanced bioavailability. But some metal nanoparticles exhibit neurotoxic activity owing to their shape, size, surface charge, or surface modification. This review article has discussed the pathophysiology of AD. The neuroprotective mechanism of gold, silver, selenium, ruthenium, cerium oxide, zinc oxide, and iron oxide nanoparticles are discussed. Again, the neurotoxic mechanisms of gold, iron oxide, titanium dioxide, and cobalt oxide are also included. The neuroprotective and neurotoxic effects of nanoparticles targeted for treating AD are discussed elaborately. The review also focusses on the biocompatibility of metal nanoparticles for targeting the brain in treating AD. The clinical trials and the requirement to develop new drug delivery systems are critically analyzed. This review can show a path for the researchers involved in the brain-targeted drug delivery for AD.

Peptide-metal nanohybrids (PMN): Promising entities for combating neurological maladies

Nanotherapeutics are gaining traction in the modern scenario because of their unique and distinct properties which separate them from macro materials. Among the nanoparticles, metal NPs (MNPs) have gained importance due to their distinct physicochemical and biological characteristics. Peptides also exhibit several important functions in humans. Different peptides have received approval as pharmaceuticals, and clinical trials have been commenced for several peptides. Peptides are also used as targeting ligands. Considering all the advantages offered by these two entities, the conjugation of MNPs with peptides has emerged as a potential strategy for achieving successful targeting, diagnosis, and therapy of various neurological pathologies.

Controllable Fabrication of Highly Uniform Sub-10 nm Nanoparticles from Spontaneous Confined Nanoemulsification

Sub-10 nm nanoparticles are known to exhibit extraordinary size-dependent properties for wide applications. Many approaches have been developed for synthesizing sub-10 nm inorganic nanoparticles, but the fabrication of sub-10 nm polymeric nanoparticles is still challenging. Here, a scalable, spontaneous confined nanoemulsification strategy that produces uniform sub-10 nm nanodroplets for template synthesis of sub-10 nm polymeric nanoparticles is proposed. This strategy introduces a high-concentration interfacial reaction to create overpopulated surfactants that are insoluble at the droplet surface. These overpopulated surfactants act as barriers, resulting in highly accumulated surfactants inside the droplet via a confined reaction. These surfactants exhibit significantly changed packing geometry, solubility, and interfacial activity to enhance the molecular-level impact on interfacial instability for creating sub-10 nm nanoemulsions via self-burst nanoemulsification. Using the nanodroplets as templates, the fabrication of uniform sub-10 nm polymeric nanoparticles, as small as 3.5 nm, made from biocompatible polymers and capable of efficient drug encapsulation is demonstrated. This work opens up brand-new opportunities to easily create sub-10 nm nanoemulsions and advanced ultrasmall functional nanoparticles.