Impact of nanoparticles on amyloid β-induced Alzheimer’s disease, tuberculosis, leprosy and cancer: a systematic review

Abstract

Nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary domain of science, technology and engineering that deals with nano-sized materials/particles. Usually, the size of nanoparticles lies between 1-100 nm. Due to their small size and large surface area-to-volume ratio, nanoparticles exhibit high reactivity, greater stability and adsorption capacity. These important physicochemical properties attract scientific community to utilize them in biomedical field. Various types of nanoparticles (inorganic and organic) have broad applications in medical field ranging from imaging to gene therapy. These are also effective drug carriers. In recent times, nanoparticles are utilized to circumvent different treatment limitations. For example, the ability of nanoparticles to cross the blood brain barrier and having a certain degree of specificity towards amyloid deposits, makes themselves important candidates for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, nanotechnology has been used extensively to overcome several pertinent issues like drug-resistance phenomenon, side effects of conventional drugs and targeted drug delivery issue in leprosy, tuberculosis and cancer. Thus, in this review, the application of different nanoparticles for the treatment of these four important diseases (Alzheimer’s disease, tuberculosis, leprosy and cancer) as well as for the effective delivery of drugs used in these diseases has been presented systematically. Although nanoformulations have many advantages over traditional therapeutics for treating these diseases, nanotoxicity is a major concern which has been discussed subsequently. Lastly, we have presented the promising future prospective of nanoparticles as alternative therapeutics. In that section, we have discussed about the futuristic approach(es) that could provide promising candidate(s) for the treatment of these four diseases.

MicroRNA-nanoparticles against cancer: Opportunities and challenges for personalized medicine

“… 70 NPs can be divided into two main groups: organic and inorganic, both used in different medical fields, as gene therapy, imaging, and drug delivery ( Figure 2 ). 71 Inorganic NPs are characterized by a large surface area, optical and magnetic properties, and target specificity, enhanced by specific ligands. Inorganic NPs are less toxic and more stable than organic nanocarriers and can protect drugs from degradation allowing a gradual release.…”

Alzheimer's Disease: Status of Low‐Dimensional Nanotherapeutic Materials

“…[101] This low-nanotechnology has been proven to be advantageous for enhancing the medicine bioavailability and medicine's pharmacological effects on the brain via receptor-mediated endocytosis, which have less adverse effects caused by the necessary doses compared with traditional administration pathways such as meningoencephalitis. [102] Moreover, owing to their small size comparable to proteins and nucleic acids, these nanomaterials are highly compatible with biomolecules and neuronal cells. Whether modified or unmodified, they have the ability to selectively target and bind specific peptides or proteins, including monomeric species, oligomeric species, and fibrils.…”

Exploring Bimetallic Nanoparticles in Alzheimer’s Therapy: A Novel Bio-Assisted Synthesis with Multitarget Potential

“…Therefore, bimetallic NPs can be promising candidates for other biomedical studies. 10 Despite their potential use, conventional metal NP synthesis methods have limitations that might have a significant effect on the biocompatibility of the metal NPs. Chemical synthesis methods may lead to the production of unwanted products and the formation of NP aggregates.…”