Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
2787176 International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience 2006 7 Pages PDF
Abstract

For the delivery of drugs into the brain, the use of nanoparticles as carriers has been described as a promising approach. Here, we prepared nanoparticles as carriers for the model drugs thioflavin T and thioflavin S that bind fibrillar amyloid β peptides (Aβ). These polymer colloids are composed of a polystyrene core and a degradable PBCA [poly(butyl-2-cyanoacrylate)] shell with a diameter of 90–100 nm as shown by dynamic light scattering. Fluorescence spectrophotometric analysis revealed that encapsulated thioflavin T exhibited significantly stronger fluorescence than the free fluorophore. The enzymatic degradation of core-shell nanoparticles, as required in vivo, was shown after their treatment with porcine liver esterase, a non-specific esterase, in vitro. Shells of nanoparticles were dose-dependently degraded while their polystyrene cores remained intact. In the cortices of 7–14 months old APP/PS1 mice with age-dependent β-amyloidosis, thioflavins selectively targeted fibrillar Aβ after biodegradation-induced release from their nanoparticulate carriers upon intracerebral injection. Collectively, our data suggest that core-shell nanoparticles with controlled degradation in vivo can become versatile tools to trace and clear Aβ in the brain.

Related Topics
Life Sciences Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology Developmental Biology
Authors
, , , , , , , , ,