Purpose: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a growing concern in the modern society. The current drugs approved by FDA are not very promising. Rhynchophylline (RIN) is a major active tetracyclic oxindole alkaloid stem from traditional Chinese medicine uncaria species, which has potential activities beneficial for the treatment of AD. However, the application of rhynchophylline for AD treatment is restricted by the low water solubility, low concentration in brain tissue and low bioavailability. And there is no study of brain-targeting therapy with RIN. In this work, we prepared rhynchophylline loaded methoxy poly (ethylene glycol)–poly (dl-lactide-co-glycolic acid) (mPEG-PLGA) nanoparticles (NPS-RIN), which coupled with Tween 80 (T80) further for brain targeting delivery (T80-NPS-RIN).
Methods: Preparation and characterization of T80-NPS-RIN were followed by the detection of transportation across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) model in vitro, biodistribution and neuroprotective effects of nanoparticles.
Results: The results indicated T80-NPS-RIN could usefully assist RIN to pass through the BBB to the brain. T80-NPS-RIN treatment regulated the activity of neurons in vitro.
Conclusion: The presented data confirmed that rhynchophylline encapsulated mPEG-PLGA nanoparticles coated with Tween 80 could across through the BBB and exhibited efficient neuroprotective effects. The T80-NPS-RIN nanoparticles have a chance to be an alternative drug to the therapy of AD.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, rhynchophylline, nanoparticles, blood–brain barrier, neuroprotective effect