bims-metalz 2024-07-28 papers

Issue of 2024–07–28
two papers selected by
Mikaila Chetty, Goa University

Pharmaceutics. 2024 Jul 11. pii: 923. [Epub ahead of print]16(7):

Exploring the Biomedical Frontiers of Plant-Derived Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Biological Reactions.

Selvaraj Barathi, Srinivasan Ramalingam, Gopinath Krishnasamy, Jintae Lee.

As contemporary technology advances, scientists are striving to identify new approaches to managing several diseases. Compared to the more popular physiochemical synthesis, the plant-derived combination of metallic nanoparticles using plant secondary metabolites as a precursor has a number of benefits, including low expenses, low energy consumption, biocompatibility, and medicinal usefulness. This study intends to explore the impacts of using plant-derived synthetic materials including metallic nanoparticles (NPs), emphasizing the benefits of their broad use in next-generation treatments for cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and vector diseases. This comprehensive analysis investigates the potential of plant-derived remedies for diseases and looks at cutting-edge nanoformulation techniques aimed at addressing the function of the nanoparticles that accompany these organic substances. The purpose of the current review is to determine how plant extracts contribute to the synthesis of Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), Gold nanoparticles (GtNPs), and platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs). It provides an overview of the many phytocompounds and their functions in biomedicine, including antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, this study placed a special focus on a range of applications, including drug delivery systems, diagnostics and therapy, the present benefits of nanoparticles (NPs), their biomedical uses in medical technology, and their toxicities.

Keywords: biomedical; cancer; drug delivery system; nanotechnology; plant extracts; toxicity

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16070923

Eur J Med Chem. 2024 Jul 14. pii: S0223-5234(24)00564-6. [Epub ahead of print]276 116684

Natural products targeting amyloid-β oligomer neurotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease.

Priscila Baltazar Gonçalves, Ana Carolina Rennó Sodero, Yraima Cordeiro.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) constitutes a major global health issue, characterized by progressive neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment, for which no curative treatment is currently available. Current therapeutic approaches are focused on symptom management, highlighting the critical need for disease-modifying therapy. The hallmark pathology of AD involves the aggregation and accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides in the brain. Consequently, drug discovery efforts in recent decades have centered on the Aβ aggregation cascade, which includes the transition of monomeric Aβ peptides into toxic oligomers and, ultimately, mature fibrils. Historically, anti-Aβ strategies focused on the clearance of amyloid fibrils using monoclonal antibodies. However, substantial evidence has highlighted the critical role of Aβ oligomers (AβOs) in AD pathogenesis. Soluble AβOs are now recognized as more toxic than fibrils, directly contributing to synaptic impairment, neuronal damage, and the onset of AD. Targeting AβOs has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach to mitigate cognitive decline in AD. Natural products (NPs) have demonstrated promise against AβO neurotoxicity through various mechanisms, including preventing AβO formation, enhancing clearance mechanisms, or converting AβOs into non-toxic species. Understanding the mechanisms by which anti-AβO NPs operate is useful for developing disease-modifying treatments for AD. In this review, we explore the role of NPs in mitigating AβO neurotoxicity for AD drug discovery, summarizing key evidence from biophysical methods, cellular assays, and animal models. By discussing how NPs modulate AβO neurotoxicity across various experimental systems, we aim to provide valuable insights into novel therapeutic strategies targeting AβOs in AD.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease animal models; Amyloid aggregation; Anti-amyloid; Caenorhabditis elegans; Curcumin; Epigallocatechin-3-gallate; Resveratrol; Squalamine; Trodusquemine

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116684