BBB-permeable carbon dots ameliorate Alzheimer's-like phenotypes in mice by suppressing oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and amyloid-β aggregation

IF 5.6 2区医学 Q2 IMMUNOLOGY

International immunopharmacology Pub Date : 2026-03-15 Epub Date: 2026-02-07 DOI:10.1016/j.intimp.2026.116298

Ziyue Liu , Jingmin Wang , Zifan Chen , Chongjing Shi , Zhengquan Tang , Yongzhong Wang

{"title":"BBB-permeable carbon dots ameliorate Alzheimer's-like phenotypes in mice by suppressing oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and amyloid-β aggregation","authors":"Ziyue Liu , Jingmin Wang , Zifan Chen , Chongjing Shi , Zhengquan Tang , Yongzhong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.intimp.2026.116298","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder wherein reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Amyloid-β-protein (Aβ) play critical roles. Inspired by traditional Chinese charcoal drug and the anti-inflammatory properties of some carbon dots, we developed <em>Radix Isatidis</em> derived carbon dots (RI-CDs) via a hydrothermal method. The RI-CDs can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and were thus evaluated for AD therapy. In vitro, RI-CDs scavenged ROS, inhibited Aβ<sub>42</sub> aggregation, protected SH-SY5Y cells, and regulated inflammatory factors. In AD mice, the Morris water maze test and nesting experiment demonstrated that RI-CDs improved the learning and memory ability of mice and improved their nesting ability. Importantly, RI-CDs reduced ROS/Aβ<sub>42</sub> in the hippocampus of AD mice, downregulated NLRP3 pathway-related cellular inflammatory factors, and upregulated the expression of BDNF/SYN/PSD95, thereby restoring damaged neurons. These findings demonstrate the compelling neuroprotective efficacy of RI-CDs, highlighting their potential as a promising therapeutic agent for AD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13859,"journal":{"name":"International immunopharmacology","volume":"173 ","pages":"Article 116298"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6000,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International immunopharmacology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567576926001414","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/2/7 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"IMMUNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder wherein reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Amyloid-β-protein (Aβ) play critical roles. Inspired by traditional Chinese charcoal drug and the anti-inflammatory properties of some carbon dots, we developed Radix Isatidis derived carbon dots (RI-CDs) via a hydrothermal method. The RI-CDs can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and were thus evaluated for AD therapy. In vitro, RI-CDs scavenged ROS, inhibited Aβ₄₂ aggregation, protected SH-SY5Y cells, and regulated inflammatory factors. In AD mice, the Morris water maze test and nesting experiment demonstrated that RI-CDs improved the learning and memory ability of mice and improved their nesting ability. Importantly, RI-CDs reduced ROS/Aβ₄₂ in the hippocampus of AD mice, downregulated NLRP3 pathway-related cellular inflammatory factors, and upregulated the expression of BDNF/SYN/PSD95, thereby restoring damaged neurons. These findings demonstrate the compelling neuroprotective efficacy of RI-CDs, highlighting their potential as a promising therapeutic agent for AD.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

血脑屏障渗透性碳点通过抑制氧化应激、神经炎症和淀粉样蛋白-β聚集改善小鼠阿尔茨海默病样表型。

阿尔茨海默病（AD）是一种常见的神经退行性疾病，其中活性氧（ROS）和淀粉样蛋白-β (a β)起关键作用。受中药炭药和一些碳点抗炎特性的启发，我们通过水热法制备了板蓝根碳点。RI-CDs可以穿过血脑屏障（BBB），因此被评估用于阿尔茨海默病治疗。在体外，RI-CDs清除ROS，抑制a - β42聚集，保护SH-SY5Y细胞，调节炎症因子。在AD小鼠中，Morris水迷宫实验和筑巢实验表明，ri - cd提高了小鼠的学习记忆能力和筑巢能力。重要的是，RI-CDs降低了AD小鼠海马中的ROS/ a - β42，下调了NLRP3通路相关的细胞炎症因子，上调了BDNF/SYN/PSD95的表达，从而恢复了受损神经元。这些发现证明了RI-CDs具有令人信服的神经保护功效，突出了它们作为阿尔茨海默病治疗药物的潜力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

International immunopharmacology 医学-免疫学

CiteScore

8.40

自引率

3.60%

发文量

935

审稿时长

53 days

期刊介绍： International Immunopharmacology is the primary vehicle for the publication of original research papers pertinent to the overlapping areas of immunology, pharmacology, cytokine biology, immunotherapy, immunopathology and immunotoxicology. Review articles that encompass these subjects are also welcome. The subject material appropriate for submission includes: • Clinical studies employing immunotherapy of any type including the use of: bacterial and chemical agents; thymic hormones, interferon, lymphokines, etc., in transplantation and diseases such as cancer, immunodeficiency, chronic infection and allergic, inflammatory or autoimmune disorders. • Studies on the mechanisms of action of these agents for specific parameters of immune competence as well as the overall clinical state. • Pre-clinical animal studies and in vitro studies on mechanisms of action with immunopotentiators, immunomodulators, immunoadjuvants and other pharmacological agents active on cells participating in immune or allergic responses. • Pharmacological compounds, microbial products and toxicological agents that affect the lymphoid system, and their mechanisms of action. • Agents that activate genes or modify transcription and translation within the immune response. • Substances activated, generated, or released through immunologic or related pathways that are pharmacologically active. • Production, function and regulation of cytokines and their receptors. • Classical pharmacological studies on the effects of chemokines and bioactive factors released during immunological reactions.