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Volume 6, Issue 6(Suppl) J Clin Toxicol 2016
ISSN: 2161-0495, JCT an open access journal
Page 98
Notes:
Euro Toxicology 2016
October 24-26, 2016
conferenceseries.com
Toxicology & Applied Pharmacology
October 24-26, 2016 Rome, Italy
7th Euro-Global Summit on
From the lungs to the brain: The fantastic voyage of nanoparticles targeting beta-amyloid (Aβ)
Giulio Sancini
University of Milano, Italy
The brain is always confronted with the dilemma of the protection from noxious substances from the blood and the delivery
of vital metabolites. Endothelial cells, forming together with other cells the blood-brain barrier (BBB), are known as the
“Gatekeepers” of this trafficking. On the one hand, the protection from toxic molecules is achieved by the obstruction of the
paracellular pathway with tight junctions that fuse brain capillary endothelia into a continuous tubular cell layer. On the other
hand, vital molecules are transported from the blood by means of active trans-cellular mechanisms. Recent applications in
nanomedicine focuses on nanoparticles (NP) as they are promising tools for site-specific delivery of drugs and diagnostic
agents, through the possibility to functionalize their surface with target-specific ligands.Treatment options for Alzheimer’s
disease (AD) are limited because of the inability of drugs to cross the BBB. Previously, we showed that intraperitoneal
administration of liposomes functionalized with phosphatidic acid and an ApoE-derived peptide (mApoE-PA-LIP) reduces
brain beta-amyloid (Aβ) burden and ameliorates impaired memory in AD mice. Among the different administration routes,
pulmonary delivery is a field of increasing interest not only for the local treatment of airway diseases but also for the systemic
administration. We investigated lung administration as an alternative, non-invasive NP delivery route for reaching the brain.
Our results show that mApoE-PA-LIP were able to cross the pulmonary epithelium in vitro and reach the brain following
in vivo intratracheal instillations. Lung administration of mApoE-PA-LIP to AD mice significantly decreased total brain Aβ
(–60%; p<0.05) compared to untreated mice. These results suggest that pulmonary administration could be exploited for brain
delivery of NP designed for AD therapy.
Biography
Giulio Sancini is Assistant Professor of Physiology; Specialist inApplied Pharmacology, he has focused his research activity mainly on neurosciences, nanomedicine
and nanotoxicology. His research has been funded by European FP7 (NAD Project, nanoparticles for diagnosis and therapy of Alzheimer’s disease, winner of The
Best Project award in the field of Industrial Technologies) and FP6 (BONSAI project). He has published more than 45 papers in reputed journals and has been
serving as an Editorial Board Member of repute. He is Head of the Physiology Unit at the Dept. of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Milano-Bicocca.
Giulio Sancini, J Clin Toxicol 2016, 6:6(Suppl)