Inhibition of Aβ Aggregation and Tau Phosphorylation with Functionalized Biomimetic Nanoparticles for Synergic Alzheimer's Disease Therapy

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2024 Nov 13;16(45):61774-61786. doi: 10.1021/acsami.4c16337. Epub 2024 Nov 4.

Abstract

The main pathological mechanisms of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) are extracellular senile plaques caused by β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles derived from hyperphosphorylated Tau protein (p-Tau). However, it is difficult to obtain a good curative effect because of the poor brain bioavailability of drugs, which is attributed to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) restriction and complicated brain conditions. Herein, HM-DK was proposed for synergistic therapy of AD by using hollow mesoporous manganese dioxide (HM) as a carrier to deliver an Aβ-inhibiting peptide and a Dp-peptide inhibitor of Tau-related fibril formation synergistically. Inspired by 4T1 cancer cells promoting BBB penetration during brain metastasis, a prospective biomimetic nanocarrier (HM-DK@CM) encapsulated by 4T1 cell membranes was designed. After crossing the BBB, HM-DK@CM inhibited Aβ aggregation and prevented Tau phosphorylation simultaneously. Moreover, by taking advantage of the catalase-like activity of HM, HM-DK@CM relieved oxidative stress and altered the microenvironment associated with the development of AD. Compared with the single therapeutic drug, HM-DK@CM restored nerve damage and improved AD mice's learning and memory abilities by decreasing Aβ oligomer, p-Tau protein, and inflammation through various pathways for synergistic therapy, which has broad prospects for the effective treatment of AD.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Aβ aggregation; Nanocarrier; Scavenging ROS; Synergistic treatment; Tau phosphorylation.

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease* / drug therapy
  • Alzheimer Disease* / metabolism
  • Alzheimer Disease* / pathology
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides* / chemistry
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides* / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Biomimetic Materials* / chemistry
  • Biomimetic Materials* / pharmacology
  • Blood-Brain Barrier / drug effects
  • Blood-Brain Barrier / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Manganese Compounds / chemistry
  • Manganese Compounds / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Nanoparticles* / chemistry
  • Oxides / chemistry
  • Oxides / pharmacology
  • Phosphorylation / drug effects
  • Protein Aggregates / drug effects
  • tau Proteins* / metabolism

Substances

  • tau Proteins
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Manganese Compounds
  • manganese dioxide
  • Oxides
  • Drug Carriers
  • Protein Aggregates