The binding of pullulan modified cholesteryl nanogels to Aβ oligomers and their suppression of cytotoxicity

Nanotechnology-novel therapeutics for CNS disorders

Research into treatments for diseases of the CNS has made impressive strides in the past few decades, but therapeutic options are limited for many patients with CNS disorders. Nanotechnology has emerged as an exciting and promising new means of treating neurological disease, with the potential to fundamentally change the way we approach CNS-targeted therapeutics. Molecules can be nanoengineered to cross the blood-brain barrier, target specific cell or signalling systems, respond to endogenous stimuli, or act as vehicles for gene delivery, or as a matrix to promote axon elongation and support cell survival. The wide variety of available nanotechnologies allows the selection of a nanoscale material with the characteristics best suited to the therapeutic challenges posed by an individual CNS disorder. In this Review, we describe recent advances in the development of nanotechnology for the treatment of neurological disorders-in particular, neurodegenerative disease and malignant brain tumours-and for the promotion of neuroregeneration.

Nanotechnologies for Alzheimer's disease: diagnosis, therapy, and safety issues

Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents the most common form of dementia worldwide, affecting more than 35 million people. Advances in nanotechnology are beginning to exert a significant impact in neurology. These approaches, which are often based on the design and engineering of a plethora of nanoparticulate entities with high specificity for brain capillary endothelial cells, are currently being applied to early AD diagnosis and treatment. In addition, nanoparticles (NPs) with high affinity for the circulating amyloid-β (Aβ) forms may induce "sink effect" and improve the AD condition. There are also developments in relation to in vitro diagnostics for AD, including ultrasensitive NP-based bio-barcodes, immunosensors, as well as scanning tunneling microscopy procedures capable of detecting Aβ(1-40) and Aβ(1-42). However, there are concerns regarding the initiation of possible NP-mediated adverse events in AD, thus demanding the use of precisely assembled nanoconstructs from biocompatible materials. Key advances and safety issues are reviewed and discussed.

Nanogel engineering for new nanobiomaterials: from chaperoning engineering to biomedical applications

Nanosize hydrogels (nanogels) are polymer nanoparticles with three-dimensional networks, formed by chemical and/or physical cross-linking of polymer chains. Recently, various nanogels have been designed, with a particular focus on biomedical applications. In this review, we describe recent progress in the synthesis of nanogels and nanogel-integrated hydrogels (nanogel cross-linked gels) for drug-delivery systems (DDS), regenerative medicine, and bioimaging. We also discuss chaperone-like functions of physical cross-linking nanogel (chaperoning engineering) and organic-inorganic hybrid nanogels.