Cell-liposome delivery system based on neuroinflammation to target the amygdala for ameliorating depressive-like behaviors

The application strategy of liposomes in organ targeting therapy

Liposomes-microscopic phospholipid bubbles with bilayered membrane structure-have been a focal point in drug delivery research for the past 30 years. Current liposomes possess a blend of biocompatibility, drug loading efficiency, prolonged circulation and targeted delivery. Tailored liposomes, varying in size, charge, lipid composition, and ratio, have been developed to address diseases in specific organs, thereby enhancing drug circulation, accumulation at lesion sites, intracellular delivery, and treatment efficacy for various organ-specific diseases. For further successful development of this field, this review summarized liposomal strategies for targeting different organs in series of major human diseases, including widely studied cardiovascular diseases, liver and spleen immune diseases, chronic or acute kidney injury, neurodegenerative diseases, and organ-specific tumors. It highlights recent advances of liposome-mediated therapeutic agent delivery for disease intervention and organ rehabilitation, offering practical guidelines for designing organ-targeted liposomes. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Biology-Inspired Nanomaterials > Lipid-Based Structures.

In situ cellular hitchhiking of nanoparticles for drug delivery

Since the inception of the concept of "magic bullet", nanoparticles have evolved to be one of the most effective carriers in drug delivery. Nanoparticles improve the therapeutic efficacy of drugs offering benefits to treating various diseases. Unlike free drugs which freely diffuse and distribute through the body, nanoparticles protect the body from the drug by reducing non-specific interactions while also improving the drug's pharmacokinetics. Despite acquiring some FDA approvals, further clinical application of nanoparticles is majorly hindered by its limited ability to overcome biological barriers resulting in uncontrolled biodistribution and high clearance. The use of cell-inspired systems has emerged as a promising approach to overcome this challenge as cells are biocompatible and have improved access to tissues and organs. One of such is the hitchhiking of nanoparticles to circulating cells such that they are recognized as 'self' components evading clearance and resulting in site-specific drug delivery. In this review, we discuss the concept of nanoparticle cellular hitchhiking, highlighting its advantages, the principles governing the process and the challenges currently limiting its clinical translation. We also discuss in situ hitchhiking as a tool for overcoming these challenges and the considerations to be taken to guide research efforts in advancing this promising technology.

Borneol-modified PEGylated graphene oxide as a nanocarrier for brain-targeted delivery of ginsenoside Rg1 against depression

Depression is a chronic mental disorder which threatens human health and lives. However, the treatment of depression remains challenging largely due to blood brain barrier (BBB), which restricts drugs from entering the brain, resulting in a poor distribution of antidepressants in the brain. In this work, a novel brain-targeted drug delivery system was developed based on borneol-modified PEGylated graphene oxide (GO-PEG-BO). GO-PEG-BO was characterized and proved to possess excellent biocompatibility. By incorporating borneol, GO-PEG-BO could penetrate BBB efficiently by opening tight junctions and inhibiting the efflux system of BBB. The targeted distribution of GO-PEG-BO in the brain was observed by an in vivo biodistribution study. Moreover, GO-PEG-BO exhibited a neuroprotective effect, which is beneficial to the treatment of depression. Ginsenoside Rg1 (GRg1), which can relieve depressive symptoms but difficult to cross BBB, was loaded to GO-PEG-BO for the therapy of depression. In depressive rats, GRg1/GO-PEG-BO improved stress-induced anhedonia, despair and anxiety, and comprehensively relieved the depressive symptoms. In conclusion, GO-PEG-BO could serve as a promising nanocarrier for brain-targeted drug delivery, and provide a new strategy for the therapy of depression.

Neutrophil activation may trigger tau burden contributing to cognitive progression of chronic sleep disturbance in elderly individuals not living with dementia

BACKGROUND

To investigate the complex connection between chronic sleep disturbance (CSD) and cognitive progression.

METHODS

The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database was used to assign 784 non-dementia elderly into two groups: a normal sleep group (528 participants) and a CSD group (256 participants) via the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI)-sleep subitem. Blood transcriptomics, blood neutrophil, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and neutrophil-related inflammatory factors were measured. We also investigated gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), Cox proportional hazards model for risk factors, and mediation and interaction effects between indicators. Cognitive progression is defined as the progression from cognitively normal to mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/dementia or from MCI to dementia.

RESULTS

CSD could significantly affect cognitive function. The activated neutrophil pathways for cognitive progression in CSD were identified by transcriptomics GSEA, which was reflected by increased blood neutrophil level and its correlation with cognitive progression in CSD. High tau burden mediated the influence of neutrophils on cognitive function and exacerbated the CSD-related risk of left hippocampal atrophy. Elevated neutrophil-related inflammatory factors were observed in the cognitive progression of CSD and were associated with brain tau burden.

CONCLUSIONS

Activated neutrophil pathway triggering tau pathology may underline the mechanism of cognitive progression in CSD.