Nanotechnology for Neuroscience: Promising Approaches for Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Brain Activity Mapping

Abstract

Unlocking the secrets of the brain is a task fraught with complexity and challenge – not least due to the intricacy of the circuits involved. With advancements in the scale and precision of scientific technologies, we are increasingly equipped to explore how these components interact to produce a vast range of outputs that constitute function and disease. Here, an insight is offered into key areas in which the marriage of neuroscience and nanotechnology has revolutionized the industry. The evolution of ever more sophisticated nanomaterials culminates in network-operant functionalized agents. In turn, these materials contribute to novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, including drug delivery, neuroprotection, neural regeneration, neuroimaging and neurosurgery. Further, the entrance of nanotechnology into future research arenas including optogenetics, molecular/ion sensing and monitoring, and piezoelectric effects is discussed. Finally, considerations in nanoneurotoxicity, the main barrier to clinical translation, are reviewed, and direction for future perspectives is provided.

Luminescent PLGA Nanoparticles for Delivery of Darunavir to the Brain and Inhibition of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9, a Relevant Therapeutic Target of HIV-Associated Neurological Disorders

“…The main hurdle concerns the research for controllable drug delivery that is noninvasive and safe for human health. In this scenario, nanotechnology may have a relevant clinical impact in neuroscience, offering alternative noninvasive tools for the delivery of drugs and other therapeutic agents to specific targets into the brain parenchyma . In this study, optically traceable PLGA NPs containing luminescent C-Dots were designed, prepared, and characterized by evaluating their size, shape, colloidal stability, and DRV encapsulation efficiency and, finally, assessing their suitability for exploitation as DRV delivery nanovectors to the brain (Figure ).…”

“…In this scenario, nanotechnology may have a relevant clinical impact in neuroscience, offering alternative noninvasive tools for the delivery of drugs and other therapeutic agents to specific targets into the brain parenchyma. 36 In this study, optically traceable PLGA NPs containing luminescent C-Dots were designed, prepared, and characterized by evaluating their size, shape, colloidal stability, and DRV encapsulation efficiency and, finally, assessing their suitability for exploitation as DRV delivery nanovectors to the brain ( Figure 1 ). In particular, their safety and ability to pass through the BBB, as well as their effectiveness to inhibit MMP-9, which represents a pathogenic key factor in course of neuroAIDS, were investigated by a systematic in vitro study.…”

Nanogels as Novel Nanocarrier Systems for Efficient Delivery of CNS Therapeutics

“…Nanogel-based technologies have been implicated in the development of the nanocarriers of various neuroprotective drugs, including nucleic acids, small-molecule peptides, nerve growth factors, and free radical scavengers (e.g., edaravone). However, the nanogel drug delivery platforms are still in their infancy ( Jogani et al, 2008 ; Kumar et al, 2017 ; Patel et al, 2021 ). Therefore, additional in-depth studies on nanogels are required to address several issues before these agents can be widely used in the clinic.…”

Blood-Brain Barrier Permeable Chitosan Oligosaccharides Interfere with β-Amyloid Aggregation and Alleviate β-Amyloid Protein Mediated Neurotoxicity and Neuroinflammation in a Dose- and Degree of Polymerization-Dependent Manner

“…However, these studies were mainly verified by in vitro cellular models, and whether COS can reach the brain to exert their neuroprotective effects directly remains elusive. BBB is an impediment for the delivery of therapeutic agents to the brain [ 32 ]. In this study, to determine the permeation ability of COS across the BBB in vitro, a single layer of brain microvascular bEnd.3 cells as a BBB model in vitro was used ( Figure 2 A).…”