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Gold nanorods shed new light on Alzheimer's disease
- September 2, 2022
- Publicado por: ACCDIS
- Category: ACCDiS in Media News Featured news
Age-related diseases, as Alzheimer's disease, are becoming more frequent and could affect more than 130 million by 2050. During the aging process, overproduction of beta-amyloid peptides (Aβ) leads to the formation of different types of aggregates in the brain. While the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, when significant neurological degeneration is evident, are characterized by insoluble amyloid aggregates, known as senile plaques, Aβ peptides could serve as biomarkers for early diagnosis and follow-up.
Although Aβ aggregates labeled with a radioactive probe can be detected by positron emission tomography, the approach is expensive and limited to access for most patients. A simpler means of detecting peptides or Aβ aggregates in vivo would be a very attractive alternative., particularly for early diagnosis. Now researchers believe they may have found a way to do just this. [Cabrera et al., Nanomedicine 44 (2022) 102569, HTTPS:doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2022.102569].
"We use gold nanoparticles combined with a fluorescent probe to improve in vivo detection of soluble and insoluble Aβ aggregates", explains Marcelo J. Kogan from the University of Chile, who led the team of the Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases in Santiago, , University of Chile, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Universidad Andrés Bello and Universidad Mayor with Rebeca Aldunate from Universidad Santo Tomás. "In addition, gold nanoparticles can be strategically modified to include molecules that could regulate Aβ toxicity.".
The team recently developed a strategy to detect Aβ aggregates in vivo using computed tomography and peptide-functionalized gold nanorods.. Now, have combined this strategy with Aβ-amyloid imaging probes based on curcuminoid molecules that fluoresce in the near-infrared (Nir). Gold nanoparticles boost the signal of these Aβ-amyloid probes through an enhanced surface fluorescence effect (SEF) due to its localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Fluorophores are excited directly by incoming light and by light scattered by nanoparticles..
"Our innovative approach enables in vivo detection of Aβ with high sensitivity", says Kogan. "This system can contribute to the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and distinguish it from other types of dementia".
Researchers demonstrate the potential of the approach in two animal models of the disease that overexpress human Aβ peptide, Nematodes (C. elegans) and mice. The administration of targeted gold nanorods, together with or shortly before in vivo fluorescent probes, improves sensitivity and detection of Aβ-amyloids. The nanosystem with the NIR fluorescent probe could also be used for photothermal applications, how to break amyloid aggregates to reduce their toxicity.
An innovative approach to increase the signal of fluorophores using plasmonic gold nanoparticles (improved fluorescence effect on the surface) improved detection of Aß aggregates in C. elegans and mouse models with Alzheimer's disease
Read news at HTTPS:www.materialstoday.com/biomaterials/news/au-nanorods-shine-new-light-on-alzheimers-disease/