Improving Treatment for Parkinson's Disease: Delivery of Levodopa Nanocarriers Across the Blood-Brain Barrier

[Farooqji]

sciencedirect.com/science/a...

[Boscoejean]

"Photothermal and Phagocytosis-Driven Delivery of Levodopa Nanocarriers Across the Blood-Brain Barrier" refers to a novel drug delivery strategy that uses nanoparticles loaded with Levodopa (a dopamine precursor) which can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) effectively by utilizing both photothermal effects (heating the nanoparticles with light) and phagocytosis (being engulfed by immune cells) to deliver the drug directly to the brain tissue, potentially offering a new treatment approach for Parkinson's disease"

It gets complicated and how exactly do they heat those nanoparticles with light?

"Enhancing the ability of drugs to cross the blood-brain barrier is achieved through the photothermal effect of gold nanorods in the second near-infrared region and the targeting and internalization facilitated by Angiopep-2. Prodrugs responsive to reactive oxygen species release levodopa and can modulate the central nervous system microenvironment, thereby advancing the treatment of Parkinson's disease."

"Angiopep-2 is a 19-amino-acid peptide that can help deliver drugs to the brain:

Structure

Angiopep-2 is a synthetic peptide with the sequence TFFYGGSRGKRNNFKTEEY. It's part of the Kunitz domain of human aprotinin.

Function

Angiopep-2 binds to the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (LRP1). This interaction helps Angiopep-2 cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and deliver drugs to the brain.

Potential

Angiopep-2 could be used to treat brain cancer and other central nervous system disorders."

[Gcf51]

A way of getting more Levodopa to the brain without Carbidopa would be awesome. My understanding is (carbidopa is responsible for most of the side effects of C/L). Since C/L has been the Gold Standard for the pass 60 years, if you search side effect of Levodopa, you get the side effects of C/L thrown in.

And, I have read that even with carbidopa less than 46% of the levodopa makes it to the brain.

And.... It would be GREAT 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 to be able to take with a meal (the less than 46% is probably due to losses caused by competing with proteins for absorption ),

[eschneid in reply to Gcf51]

Thanks...........Getting more Levadopa in the bbb would be helpful. Let's take it one step further and put something in (safe, non- tumor producing stem cells that only turn into dopamine-producing neurons and enough receptors to process it all smoothly.

[Gcf51 in reply to Gcf51]

And, We can all probably benefit from B6, but can't take it because it interacts with carbidopa making both inactive.