Episode 4: Antioxidants nanoparticles and Neurodegenerative diseases

Gold nanoparticles are becoming a promising platform for the delivery of drugs in the treatment of Oxidative Stress in Neurodegenerative diseases. Oxidative Stress has been considered as key modulator in Neurodegenerative diseases and the mitochondria, highly involved in the production of oxidant species, play a role in the etiology of the diseases. This project explores the opposite roles of gold nanoparticles to generate either physiological (beneficial) or pathological alterations on the cells depending on the active molecules attached on the surfaces of the nanoparticles. An antioxidant drug delivery nanoconjugate system - lipoic acid capped gold nanoparticle was synthesized based on the antioxidant lipoic acid, which was then applied against the Oxidative Stress caused by the aggregates of α-synuclein protein, a protein implicated in Parkinson's disease. The α-synuclein aggregation promoted by the gold nanoparticles enabled the self-assembly of toxic α-synuclein aggregates, which were responsible for increased level of Reactive Oxygen Species and consequently Oxidative Stress on the cells. Miss Maria Elena Piersimoni, PhD candidate at Imperial College London, currently also a Senior Scientist at PFIZER & UK. For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. DE44320.2498032407