Nano Today: Scientists have developed a new type of artificial nanoenzyme that promises to treat Parkinson's disease

January 12, 2021 // -- A growing body of research suggests that malformed and misfolded α synaptic nucleoproteins (the "culprits" behind Parkinson's disease) can move from the intestines to the brain, spreading in the brain and gathering into deadly lumpy structures - Lewy bodies, which can cause brain cell death as these lumpy structures accumulate.
, in a study published in the international journal Nano Today, scientists from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and others developed an artificial enzyme that blocks the spread of misfolded α synaptic nucleoproteins in the brain, and the findings could help develop new treatments for Parkinson's disease.
the artificial enzymes developed by the researchers have powerful antioxidant properties, a nanoscale composition of platinum and copper called PtCu, whose antioxidant properties depend largely on the composition of the metal combination.
Professor Xiaobo Mao, said oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen was inevitable and increased with the body's age because of slowing processes such as protein degradation in the body.
the results of this paper reveal the importance of antioxidants, because in Parkinson's disease, floating reactive oxygen free agents promote the spread of misfolded α synaptic nucleoproteins, which can cause more severe symptoms in patients.
photo source: Graphic created by M.E. Newman, Johns Hopkins, using public domain images When injected into the brain, the nanoenzyme removes reactive oxygen, devours it and prevents damage to neuron cells in the brain.
These nanoenzymes can simulate hydrogen peroxide enzymes and superoxide disambiguases, both of which are present in the body and help break down the reactive oxygen produced by the body, while adding new nanoenzymes enhances the body's response.
the paper, the researchers analyzed a research model called the α synactin nucleoprotein primary fiber model, which replicates patients' disease manifestations, as well as the spread of disease and neurodegeneration caused by louis small bodies.
researchers say the new nanoenzymes we have developed can reduce the pathological manifestations induced by α synactins and inhibit neurotoxicity, in addition to reducing the body's reactive oxygen levels α;
researchers have only recently found evidence that α synactin can spread from the gut to the brain along the lost nerve, and later researchers hope to further study the findings and develop a new treatment for Parkinson's disease that targets the gut.
'We all know that this new type of nanoenzyme works when injected directly into the brain, and now we want to know if this nanoenzyme can effectively block the progression of the disease when the pathogenic α synth nucleoprotein crosses the blood-brain barrier from the intestines into the brain,' said Mao, a researcher.
of course, this may require more research at a later stage to confirm this.
original source: Yu-Qing Liu et al. Nanozyme scavenging ROS for prevention of pathologic α-synuclein transmission in Parkinson's disease, Nano Today (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.nantod.2020.101027