Potential Treatment of Parkinson's Disease Using New-Generation Carbon Nanotubes: A Biomolecular in Silico Study Publisher Pubmed



Alimohammadi E¹ ; Nikzad A² ; Khedri M³ ; Rezaian M⁴ ; Jahromi AM⁵ ; Rezaei N^{6, 7, 8} ; Maleki R⁹
Source: Nanomedicine Published:2021

Abstract

Background: One of the underlying mechanisms of Parkinson's disease is the aggregation of α-synuclein proteins, including amyloids and Lewy bodies in the brain. Aim: To study the inhibitory effect of doped carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on amyloid aggregation. Materials & methods: Molecular dynamics tools were utilized to simulate the influence of CNTs doped with phosphorus, nitrogen and bromine and nitrogen on the formation of α-synuclein amyloid. Results: The CNTs exhibited strong interactions with α-synuclein, with phosphorus-doped CNTs having the most substantial interactions. Conclusion: Doped-CNTs, especially phosphorus-doped carbon nanotube could effectively prevent α-synuclein amyloid formation, thus, it could be considered as a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease. However, further in vitro and clinical investigations are required. © 2021 Future Medicine Ltd.