From Small Peptides to Large Proteins against Alzheimer’sDisease

Advances and future perspectives of intranasal drug delivery: A scientometric review

Intranasal drug delivery is as a noninvasive and efficient approach extensively utilized for treating the local, central nervous system, and systemic diseases. Despite numerous reviews delving into the application of intranasal drug delivery across biomedical fields, a comprehensive analysis of advancements and future perspectives remains elusive. This review elucidates the research progress of intranasal drug delivery through a scientometric analysis. It scrutinizes several challenges to bolster research in this domain, encompassing a thorough exploration of entry and elimination mechanisms specific to intranasal delivery, the identification of drugs compatible with the nasal cavity, the selection of dosage forms to surmount limited drug-loading capacity and poor solubility, and the identification of diseases amenable to the intranasal delivery strategy. Overall, this review furnishes a perspective aimed at galvanizing future research and development concerning intranasal drug delivery.

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a Polyphenol from Green Tea, Regulates the Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation of Alzheimer's-Related Protein Tau

The microtubule-associated protein tau is involved in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Recently, tau has been shown to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), which is implicated in the physiological function and pathological aggregation of tau. In this report, we demonstrate that the green tea polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) promotes the formation of liquid tau droplets at neutral pH by creating a network of hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds, mainly with the proline-rich domain of tau. We further show that EGCG oxidation, tau phosphorylation, and the chemical structure of the polyphenol influence the efficacy of EGCG in facilitating tau LLPS. Complementary to the inhibitory activity of EGCG in tau fibrillization, our findings provide novel insights into the biological activity of EGCG and offer new clues for future studies on the molecular mechanism by which EGCG alleviates neurodegenerative diseases.