RESEARCH PAPER
Multifunctional Zinc-Tannic Acid Nanoparticles Target α-Synuclein Aggregation and Oxidative Stress in Parkinson's Disease.
AI Summary
This study reports zinc–tannic acid coordination nanoparticles that scavenge ROS, inhibit and disaggregate α‑synuclein fibrils, preserve mitochondrial function, and rescue motor/cognitive deficits and dopaminergic neuron loss in a PD mouse model without overt toxicity.
Why It Matters
Multimodal nanoparticle therapy targets both α‑syn aggregation and oxidative stress with in vivo efficacy and low toxicity, offering a translationally promising disease-modifying approach for Parkinson’s therapeutics.
Abstract
In Parkinson's disease (PD), the abnormal aggregation of α-synuclein (α-Syn) and oxidative stress form a self-reinforcing vicious cycle that is a key driver of disease progression. To disrupt this pathogenic loop, this study designed and synthesized zinc-tannic acid coordination nanoparticles (Zn-TA NPs). Zn-TA NPs exhibit potent reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capability and can concurrently inhibit α-Syn fibril formation and disaggregate α-Syn fibrils. In cellular models, Zn-TA NPs scavenged ROS, preserved mitochondrial function, and demonstrated neuroprotective effects. In a PD mouse model, treatment with Zn-TA NPs significantly improved motor and cognitive deficits, attenuated dopaminergic neuron loss, and reduced cerebral levels of α-Syn pathological deposition, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation, without inducing significant systemic toxicity. These findings indicate that Zn-TA NPs exert multitarget neuroprotective effects by synergistically modulating α-Syn aggregation and oxidative stress, offering a novel strategy based on natural polyphenol-metal coordination for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.