A molecule for targeted therapy of Alzheimer’s disease was developed by the Scientific Research Center for Environmental Safety at the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Together with colleagues from two St. Petersburg universities, the State University and the State Technological University, they synthesized a chemical compound capable of blocking the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase, the increased content of which is associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
As the Russian Ministry of Education and Science reported on its official website, the new nanomaterials are twice as effective at blocking butyrylcholinesterase. Experiments have also demonstrated good biocompatibility and targeted accumulation in the digestive system.
A special feature of the new compound is that its activity can be controlled with a laser. And thanks to luminescence, it is possible to track the location of the drug in the body. In addition, it is the first such compound that is highly soluble in water.
The latter circumstance is of great importance for the creation of functional materials for biomedical applications, opening up new possibilities in targeted therapy, according to Anastasia Egorova, one of the authors of the study, senior researcher at the Laboratory of Natural Ecological and Chemical Research at the Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The study is part of the work of St. Petersburg scientists to develop methods for the synthesis and use of medicinal compounds whose activity can be controlled using optical radiation.
In the future, the new compound may find application in innovative methods of targeted therapy of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s diseases, scientists believe.