Biosynthesized metal nanoparticles as potential Alzheimer's disease therapeutics

The recent projections indicate that Alzheimer's disease (AD) will be highly prevalent in elderly people within few years and therefore the scientific community has joined in hands to highlight it as a major disease for generations to come. The onset of the disease is however complex and needs vigorous research in understanding the potential causes and mechanism of the disease and only then better treatment modalities may be developed. The malfunctioning of the cognitive abilities are manifested through the formation of β-amyloid, disruptive cholinergic system, and formation of hyperphosphorylated neurofibrillary tangles; moreover, the symptoms can appear long before the onset of the disease. Recently, nanotechnology has emerged as a potential area of research for the treatment of AD. Being smaller in size, these nano-based treatment modalities has the tendency to cross the blood-brain barrier, moreover can be guided and directed specifically. The intertwining of nanotechnology with medicinal plants provides an excellent platform to fabricate metal nanoparticles with novel shapes, properties, and applications and hence can be considered as novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of AD. Until now, few research articles are available on biogenic metal or metal oxide nanoparticles which have reported impressive results for the treatment of AD. Additionally, their functionalization can further improve the therapeutic potential of these metal nanoparticles.