Photothermal and Photodynamic Therapies via NIR-Activated Nanoagents in Combating Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

It is well established that the polymerization of amyloid-β peptides into fibrils/plaques is a critical step during the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Phototherapy, which includes photodynamic therapy and photothermal therapy, is a highly attractive strategy in AD treatment due to its merits of operational flexibility, noninvasiveness, and high spatiotemporal resolution. Distinct from traditional chemotherapies or immunotherapies, phototherapies capitalize on the interaction between photosensitizers or photothermal transduction agents and light to trigger photochemical reactions to generate either reactive oxygen species or heat effects to modulate Aβ aggregation, ultimately restoring nerve damage and ameliorating memory deficits. In this Review, we provide an overview of the recent advances in the development of near-infrared-activated nanoagents for AD phototherapies and discuss the potential challenges of and perspectives on this emerging field with a special focus on how to improve the efficiency and utility of such treatment. We hope that this Review will spur preclinical research and the clinical translation of AD treatment through phototherapy.

Therapy and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: from discrete metal complexes to metal–organic frameworks

“…While there are few reviews about metal-based drugs in AD treatment [48][49][50] and MOFs in AD diagnosis have already been documented, [51][52][53] the number of reports in this area has sharply increased (34 and 81% published within the last 4 years, according to the Web of Science, February 2023, (i) ''coordination'' ''compounds'' ''Alzheimer'', and (ii) ''metal'' ''organic'' ''framework'' ''Alzheimer'', respectively). This review will discuss all the developments of coordination compounds, including outstanding discrete compounds and MOFs, published as treatment and/or diagnosis in AD.…”

“…While there are few reviews about metal-based drugs in AD treatment 48–50 and MOFs in AD diagnosis have already been documented, 51–53 the number of reports in this area has sharply increased (34 and 81% published within the last 4 years, according to the Web of Science, February 2023, (i) “coordination” “compounds” “Alzheimer”, and (ii) “metal” “organic” “framework” “Alzheimer”, respectively).…”

Plasmonic Nanostars: Systematic Review of their Synthesis and Applications

“…In addition to photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, which involves photopromoted chemical reactions, has been another promising approach for light-controlled therapies enabled by plasmonic nanostructures . In one of the few relevant reported studies in the field, Pino and co-workers described the use of AuNSt-based core–shell nanoreactors (NRs) to carry out NIR-driven photothermal cyclizations inside living cells, as illustrated in Figure .…”

Upconversion Nanostructures Applied in Theranostic Systems

“…PDT is a promising method for cancer treatment because of the low side effects and high selectivity [ 93 ]. The interaction between UV or visible light and photosensitizers (PS) could generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS), which have been proved to oxidize amino acid residues, inhibit tumor cells and restrict the self-assembly of neurotoxicity proteins [ 114 , 115 , 116 ]. However, unlike NIR light with high tissue penetration ability, UV and visible light have shallow tissue penetration depth, which confines the PDT for shallow-seated tumors [ 117 ].…”