Nanoparticles and Materials Design for Nervous System Diseases

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 August 2022) | Viewed by 3986

Special Issue Editors

Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
Interests: functional materials; drug delivery; controlled release; nerve regeneration; tissue engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
Interests: biomaterials; tissue engineering; neural stem cells; organ on a chip

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional-materials-based therapeutic approaches have been seen as a novel strategy to improve nervous system diseases’ efficacy. However, most of these synthesized biomaterials do not offer an on-demand bio-cue or physical stimulus for tissue regeneration and mismatch the surface properties to tissue development, thus leading to weak tissue guidance, especially for neuron regeneration. Further, natural polymer usually lacks the appropriate mechanical property and stability during surgery and implantation in vivo, and the potential ex vivo model of nerve systems is also critical. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to highlight current progress in the use of nanoparticles and materials design as well as new ex vivo system strategies for nervous system diseases.

Dr. Shang-Hsiu Hu
Dr. I-Chi Lee
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biomaterials
  • hydrogels
  • nerve diseases
  • tissue engineering
  • neural stem cells
  • organ on a chip

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 13263 KiB  
Article
Transferrin-Functionalized Liposomes for the Delivery of Gallic Acid: A Therapeutic Approach for Alzheimer’s Disease
by Stéphanie Andrade, Joana A. Loureiro and Maria C. Pereira
Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(10), 2163; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14102163 - 11 Oct 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1703
Abstract
Senile plaques composed of amyloid β (Aβ) fibrils are considered the leading cause of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Molecules with the ability to inhibit Aβ aggregation and/or promote Aβ clearance are thus a promising approach for AD therapy. Our group recently demonstrated that gallic [...] Read more.
Senile plaques composed of amyloid β (Aβ) fibrils are considered the leading cause of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Molecules with the ability to inhibit Aβ aggregation and/or promote Aβ clearance are thus a promising approach for AD therapy. Our group recently demonstrated that gallic acid (GA) has strong anti-amyloidogenic properties. In this study, stealth liposomes were prepared for the delivery of GA for AD therapy. The liposomes were functionalized with transferrin (Tf) to direct them to the brain, since Tf receptors are overexpressed in the endothelial cells of the blood–brain barrier. GA-loaded Tf-functionalized liposomes showed mean diameters of 130 nm, low polydispersity index values, and neutral zeta potential. Moreover, the produced nanocarriers promoted the sustained release of GA over 5 days and are physically stable for 1 month under storage conditions. Furthermore, GA-loaded Tf-functionalized liposomes showed a strong ability to interact with Aβ1-42 monomers, slowing down the Aβ monomer-to-oligomer and oligomer-to-fibril transitions and decreasing the number of fibrils formed by 56%. In addition, the NPs disaggregated approximately 30% of preformed Aβ fibrils. The presented results suggest that Tf-functionalized liposomes could be a viable platform for the brain delivery of GA for AD therapy. Studies with animal models of AD will be valuable for validating the therapeutic efficacy of this novel liposomal formulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoparticles and Materials Design for Nervous System Diseases)
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14 pages, 5379 KiB  
Article
A Real-Time Sensing System for Monitoring Neural Network Degeneration in an Alzheimer’s Disease-on-a-Chip Model
by Nien-Che Liu, Chu-Chun Liang, Yi-Chen Ethan Li and I-Chi Lee
Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(5), 1022; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14051022 - 09 May 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1867
Abstract
Stem cell-based in vitro models may provide potential therapeutic strategies and allow drug screening for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Herein, we develop a neural stem cell (NSC) spheroid-based biochip that is characterized by a brain-like structure, well-defined neural differentiation, and neural [...] Read more.
Stem cell-based in vitro models may provide potential therapeutic strategies and allow drug screening for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Herein, we develop a neural stem cell (NSC) spheroid-based biochip that is characterized by a brain-like structure, well-defined neural differentiation, and neural network formation, representing a brain-on-a-chip. This system consisted of microelectrode arrays with a multichannel platform and allowed the real-time monitoring of network formation and degeneration by impedance analysis. The parameters of this platform for the real-time tracking of network development and organization were established based on our previous study. Subsequently, β-amyloid (Aβ) was added into the brain-on-a-chip system to generate an AD-on-a-chip model, and toxic effects on neurons and the degeneration of synapses were observed. The AD-on-a-chip model may help us to investigate the neurotoxicity of Aβ on neurons and neural networks in real time. Aβ causes neural damage and accumulates around neurites or inside neurospheroids, as observed by immunostaining and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After incubation with Aβ, reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased, synapse function decreased, and the neurotransmitter-acetylcholine (ACh) concentration decreased were observed. Most importantly, the real-time analysis system monitored the impedance value variation in the system with Aβ incubation, providing consecutive network disconnection data that are consistent with biological data. This platform provides simple, real-time, and convenient sensing to monitor the network microenvironment. The proposed AD-on-a-chip model enhances the understanding of neurological pathology, and the development of this model provides an alternative for the study of drug discovery and cell–protein interactions in the brain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoparticles and Materials Design for Nervous System Diseases)
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