Table 1 Functional and structural characteristics of nanomaterials, as well as the prospective uses of these properties in clinical neuroscience
From: Neuro-nanotechnology: diagnostic and therapeutic nano-based strategies in applied neuroscience
Nanoplatform | Functional and structural features | Possible applicability in neuroscience | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
Polymeric micelles | - Vesicles having an aqueous core are formed of a bilayer comprising lipids or phospholipids - Unilamellar or multilamellarAdjustable in terms of the magnitude of the synthesis: 20 to more than 500 nm - Modification and formulation of the surface are simple - Internalization of cells quickly while maintaining precise control over their release - Biocompatibility and a minimal likelihood of inducing an immune response | - Neuroprotectionl - Delivery of medications (including peptide drugs, such as thyrotropin-releasing hormone and DADLE (Tyr–D-Ala–Gly–Phe–D-Leu); Amphotericin B) to the central nervous system | [52] |
Lipid nanoparticles | - Surfactants provide stability for the solid lipid core lattice - Diameter: 10–1000 nm - Simple in regard to conjugation and functionalization Cytocompatibility | -Neuroprotection (Activation of P38 MAPK pathways and Bcl-2 family, diminution of the tunicamycin-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress upon internalization) - Gene silencing (siRNA (targeting the GluN1 subunit of the N-methyl-D-Aspartate receptor following intracerebroventricular and intracortical delivery; elucidation of the ion exchanger SLC26A11 as a voltage-gated ion channel engaged in neuronal swelling), mRNA for modulate mRNA splicing; oligonucleotide-loaded lipid nanoparticles) | |
Nanoemulsion | - Water in oil: a water core that is kept together by surfactants as well as co-surfactants and is suspended in an oil media - Oil in water: oil droplets spread throughout an aqueous solution - Diameter: 20–200 nm | - Neuroprotection (down-regulation of amyloid precursor protein, total tau and phosphorylated tau, and β-secretase; preventing motor impairment and inhibition of complex I) - Drug delivery to CNS (Riluzole; glutathione and bromocriptine loading; tetrabenazine nanoemulsion) | |
Nanogel | - A hydrogel is made up of non-ionic and ionic polymeric materials that have been cross-linked - Diameter: < 150 nm - Modifications selectively applied to the surface - A high porosity level combined with a considerable loading capacity - Release profiles are both controllable and sustained | - Neuroprotection (such as a developed carboxyl-functionalized poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) nanogel system conjugated with for efficiently transported across the BBB in Alzheimer's disease; Methotrexate-loaded chitosan nanogels) - Drug delivery (Colloidal microgels; Magnetic nanogels to fluorescently labeled exosomes isolated from PC12 cells, enhancement of differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells to neuron-like cells) | [67] [68] |
Nanocapsules | - A solid hydrophobic core enveloped by a monolayer of phospholipids - Diameter: 10–200 nm | - Neuroprotection (Triphenyl phosphonium coated nano-quercetin to moderate cerebral ischemia, preserving mitochondrial functional and structural integrity by sequestering ROS, modulating mitochondrial apoptotic cell death mediated by ROS) - Delivery of medications to the CNS (combining a icosahedral DNA-nanocapsule loaded with photoresponsive polymer with cellular targeting properties to cytosolic delivery of small molecules, such as dehydroepiandrosterone releasing) | |
Gold nanoparticles | - Comprised of individual atoms of goldLow hydrodynamic dimensions: approximately 2.5 nm - Has a high surface area that is easily accessible, surface plasmon resonance, and RAMAN scattering - Modification as well as functionalization of the surface can be done easily - Durable and compatible with living organisms | - Drug delivery(Glycol-coated gold nanoparticles enhanced motor neuron survival, increased myelination of spared or regrown/sprouted axons) Labelling and nanoimaging (Due to the fact that the Se emission band is not located in close proximity to any other emission band and that the signal specificity is maintained in both methods of labeling, it was discovered that functionalized CdSe/ZnS quantum dots probes were ideal for use in nanoXRF(X-ray fluorescence); peripheral nerve nanoimaging) | |
Iron oxide | - The minerals known as maghemite (Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4) - Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) diameter: between 50 and 150 nm - Ultrasmall SPIO diameter: between 10 and 14 nm - Has a high surface area - Because of its size, it can maintain circulation for longer and penetrate deeper into tissue | Erythrosine adsorption, labelling and nanoimaging ( magnetic resonance imaging was helpful for the localization of iron-oxide loaded macrophages in rat brains as a result of photodynamic treatment (PDT)-induced disruption of the BBB) | |
Quantum dots | - Crystals of colloidal semiconductors with a core of metalloid crystalline material - Can be covered with a variety of molecules or coupled with them - Dimensions: between two and ten nanometers - Superior photo- and chemical-stabilization - A high excitation coefficient at the molecular level - The possibility of breaking through the blood–brain barrier - Longer than average blood half-life - Lowest possible incidence of harmful reactions - Has a capacity to be ingested by phagocytic cells and removed from the body | - Nanoimaging (Quantum dots-labeled Aβ nanoprobes allow for the real-time observation of A aggregation, such as oligomerization and fibrilization, both in vitro and in intact cell systems; NIR light is utilized to stimulate cells inside the spectral tissue transparency window using a flexible quantum dot-based photovoltaic biointerface, colloidal quantum dots can be employed in wireless bioelectronic medicine for the brain) - Labelling (In primary neuronal cultures and in ex vivo rat brain slices, Quantum dot conjugated nanobodies are able to assess the kinetics of neurotransmitter receptors at excitatory and inhibitory synapses, respectively; Outgrowth and branching pattern of neuronal developments could be controlled by the use of the chemically modified element (nitrogen, boron, and phosphorous) doped carbon dots) | |
Silica nanoparticles | - Silica nanoparticles are either nonporous or mesoporous, with a pore size of 2–50 nm - The presence of pores enables increased medication loading - Advantageous biocompatibility - Have an extremely high transparency - Materials that are dielectric (do not conduct electrons and do not absorb light) | - Stimulation of the growth of nerve cells and the development of neurites - Brain drug delivery(The survival rate of spiral ganglion neurons can be improved in vitro with the use of long-term release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) using nanoporous silica nanoparticles) - In vivo bio imaging and tracking (Dye-doped silica nanoparticles; functionalized manganese-doped silica nanoparticles effectively transports insoluble drugs to cross the blood spinal cord barrier) | [90] [93] |
Carbon nanotubes | - Nanostructures the shape of cylinders constructed of graphene sheets wrapped upon themselves - High surface area - Diameter: from 1 to 4 nanometers - High surface area that is electrochemically sensitive (700–1000 m2 g) - Superior tensile and shear strength (elastic modulus ca. 0.64 TPa for an individual nanotube) - Superior thermal conductivity (particular multi-walled nanotube is greater than 3000 W rrr−1 K−1), excellent electronic flow (up to 109 A cm−2), and low thermal expansion coefficient - Superior capacity for penetrating biological barriers | - Covering designed to enhance the electrical interaction for neural recordings as well as stimulation - For use in the process of neuroregeneration as scaffolds - Protein and DNA biosensors - Ion channel blockers Regenerative 3D scaffolds for the CNS (e.g., spinal cord and brain) | [96] [97] [98] [99] |