Open Access Nano Express

Gold Nanoparticles and Microwave Irradiation Inhibit Beta-Amyloid Amyloidogenesis

Eyleen Araya1,2, Ivonne Olmedo3, Neus G Bastus4,5, Simón Guerrero3,6, Víctor F Puntes4,7, Ernest Giralt8,9 and Marcelo J Kogan10,3*

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Author affiliations

1 Instituto de Medicina Molecular Aplicada, Sinclair 3106, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, CP 1425FRF, Argentina

2 University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

3 Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Olivos 1007, Independencia, Santiago, Chile

4 Institut Català de Nanotecnologia, Campus UAB, 08193, Barcelona, Spain

5 Departament de Física Fonamental, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

6 Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile

7 Institut Català de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08093, Barcelona, Spain

8 Design Synthesis and Structure of Peptides and Proteins, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), 08028, Barcelona, Spain

9 Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

10 Centro para la Investigación Interdisciplinaria Avanzada en Ciencias de Materiales, Santiago, Chile

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Citation and License

Nanoscale Research Letters 2008, 3:435-443 doi:10.1007/s11671-008-9178-5

Published: 11 October 2008

Abstract

Peptide-Gold nanoparticles selectively attached to β-amyloid protein (Aβ) amyloidogenic aggregates were irradiated with microwave. This treatment produces dramatic effects on the Aβ aggregates, inhibiting both the amyloidogenesis and the restoration of the amyloidogenic potential. This novel approach offers a new strategy to inhibit, locally and remotely, the amyloidogenic process, which could have application in Alzheimer’s disease therapy. We have studied the irradiation effect on the amyloidogenic process in the presence of conjugates peptide-nanoparticle by transmission electronic microscopy observations and by Thioflavine T assays to quantify the amount of fibrils in suspension. The amyloidogenic aggregates rather than the amyloid fibrils seem to be better targets for the treatment of the disease. Our results could contribute to the development of a new therapeutic strategy to inhibit the amyloidogenic process in Alzheimer’s disease.

Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease; Therapy; Aggregation; Toxicity; Nanobiotechnology