Behavior, protein, and dendritic changes after model traumatic brain injury and treatment with nanocoffee particles

Nanoparticle-based drug delivery for the treatment of traumatic brain injury

INTRODUCTION

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) impact the breadth of society and remain without any approved pharmacological treatments. Despite successful Phase II clinical trials, the failure of many Phase III clinical trials may be explained by insufficient drug targeting and retention, preventing the proper attainment of an observable dosage threshold. To address this challenge, nanoparticles can be functionalized to protect pharmacological payloads, improve targeted drug delivery to sites of injury, and can be combined with supportive scaffolding to improve secondary outcomes.

AREAS COVERED

This review briefly covers the pathophysiology of TBIs and their subtypes, the current pre-clinical and clinical management strategies, explores the common models of focal, diffuse, and mixed traumatic brain injury employed in experimental animals, and surveys the existing literature on nanoparticles developed to treat TBIs.

EXPERT OPINION

Nanoparticles are well suited to improve secondary outcomes as their multifunctionality and customizability enhance their potential for efficient targeted delivery, payload protection, increased brain penetration, low off-target toxicity, and biocompatibility in both acute and chronic timescales.

Experimental evidence and mechanism of action of some popular neuro-nutraceutical herbs

Brain and neuronal circuits constitute the most complex organ networks in human body. They not only control and coordinate functions of all other organs, but also represent one of the most-affected systems with stress, lifestyle and age. With global increase in aging populations, these neuropathologies have emerged as major concern for maintaining quality of life. Recent era has witnessed a surge in nutritional remediation of brain dysfunctions primarily by "nutraceuticals" that refer to functional foods and supplements with pharmacological potential. Specific dietary patterns with a balanced intake of carbohydrates, fatty acids, vitamins and micronutrients have also been ascertained to promote brain health. Dietary herbs and their phytochemicals with wide range of biological and pharmacological activities and minimal adverse effects have gained remarkable attention as neuro-nutraceuticals. Neuro-nutraceutical potentials of herbs are often expressed as effects on cognitive response, circadian rhythm, neuromodulatory, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities that are mediated by effects on gene expression, epigenetics, protein synthesis along with their turnover and metabolic pathways. Epidemiological and experimental evidence have implicated enormous applications of herbal supplementation in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. The present review highlights the identification, experimental evidence and applications of some herbs including Bacopa monniera, Withania somnifera, Curcuma longa, Helicteres angustifolia, Undaria pinnatifida, Haematococcus pluvialis, and Vitis vinifera, as neuro-nutraceuticals.

The Application of Nanotechnology for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Brain Diseases and Disorders

Brain is by far the most complex organ in the body. It is involved in the regulation of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional activities. The organ is also a target for many diseases and disorders ranging from injuries to cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. Brain diseases are the main causes of disability and one of the leading causes of deaths. Several drugs that have shown potential in improving brain structure and functioning in animal models face many challenges including the delivery, specificity, and toxicity. For many years, researchers have been facing challenge of developing drugs that can cross the physical (blood–brain barrier), electrical, and chemical barriers of the brain and target the desired region with few adverse events. In recent years, nanotechnology emerged as an important technique for modifying and manipulating different objects at the molecular level to obtain desired features. The technique has proven to be useful in diagnosis as well as treatments of brain diseases and disorders by facilitating the delivery of drugs and improving their efficacy. As the subject is still hot, and new research findings are emerging, it is clear that nanotechnology could upgrade health care systems by providing easy and highly efficient diagnostic and treatment methods. In this review, we will focus on the application of nanotechnology in the diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases and disorders by illuminating the potential of nanoparticles.

Sidestream Smoke Affects Dendritic Complexity and Astrocytes After Model Mild Closed Head Traumatic Brain Injury

Mild traumatic brain injuries can have long-term consequences that interfere with the life of the patient and impose a burden on our health care system. Oxidative stress has been identified as a contributing factor for the progression of neurodegeneration following TBI. A major source of oxidative stress for many veterans is cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke, which has been shown to have an effect on TBI recovery. To examine the potential influences of second-hand smoke during recovery from TBI, we utilized a mouse model of closed head injury, followed by repeated exposure to cigarette smoke and treatment with a neuroprotective antioxidant. We found that neither the mild injuries nor the smoke exposure produced axonal damage detectable with amino cupric silver staining. However, complexity in the dendritic arbors was significantly reduced after mild TBI plus smoke exposure. In the hippocampus, there were astrocytic responses, including Cyp2e1 upregulation, after the injury and tobacco smoke insult. This study provides useful context for the importance of lifestyle changes, such as reducing or eliminating cigarette smoking, during recovery from TBI.

Correlations Between the Glasgow Score and the Survival Period in Patients with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) contributes by 30% to the mortality induced by traumatic injuries, also being one of the major causes of invalidity worldwide. The clinical classification of the severity of mild, moderate or severe TBI is made according to the Glasgow scale, according to the patient's conscious state, motric changes, speech changes and eye opening. In our study, we evaluated the correlation between the Glasgow score at admission and the survival period of patients suffering from TBI, using the data recorded in the Forensic Medicine Institute of Craiova between 2011-2017 on 1005 cases with the diagnosis of death by TBI. We observed that TBI affects persons of all ages, starting from babies up to the elderly aged over 90 years old. Regarding the generation mechanism, most deaths were caused by fallings (438 cases, 43.58%), followed by car accidents (333 cases, representing 33.13%). The number of patients who presented a post-traumatic survival period was 802 (79.80%), of which 779 adults (77.51%) and 23 children (2.29%). Among these, 785 (78.11%-764 adults and 21 children) were hospitalized, while in 64.58% of the TBI patients there was recorded the Glasgow score at admission. 75% of the TBI patients in whom there was recorded the Glasgow score presented a 1st-4th coma degree, with a Glasgow score from 3 to 8 and only 25% had a slightly altered or preserved conscious state, with a Glasgow score=9-15. The survival period varied from less than 24 hours to over 15 days. In the hospitalized patients, there were performed emergency surgeries in 269 (26.76%) cases, the surgical intervention being temporized in 108 (10.74%) patients.