Amyloid-Binding Aptamer Conjugated Curcumin–PLGA Nanoparticle for Potential Use in Alzheimer’s Disease

• Published in: BioNanoScience 2012-06, Vol.2 (2), p.83-93
• Main Authors: Mathew, Anila, Aravind, Athulya, Brahatheeswaran, D., Fukuda, Takahiro, Nagaoka, Yutaka, Hasumura, Takashi, Iwai, Seiki, Morimoto, Hisao, Yoshida, Yasuhiko, Maekawa, Toru, Venugopal, K., Kumar, D. Sakthi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and Medical Physics; Biomaterials; Biophysics; Circuits and Systems; Engineering; Nanotechnology
• ISSN: 2191-1630; 2191-1649
• DOI: 10.1007/s12668-012-0040-y

Alzheimer’s disease is becoming a serious concern in the medical field due to its severity and prevalence. This multifactorial disease manifested by various genetic and nongenetic factors makes its treatment very difficult. Due to the inefficacy of the currently available drugs, newer therapeutic strategies are increasingly in demand. Most of the current drug discovery initiatives are pivoted around amyloid pathology which is considered to be central to the disease progression. In this work, we propose the use of amyloid-binding aptamer conjugated to poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-coated curcumin nanoparticles to bind to the amyloid plaques. Curcumin is a plant-derived compound with reported anti-amyloid activity. Recent reports reveal the importance of plasma amyloid in Alzheimer development. We propose that the amyloid-binding aptamer attached curcumin–PLGA nanoparticles can be used as a potential tool in targeting the plasma amyloid and thus helps in Alzheimer therapy.