Nanomaterials as novel agents for amelioration of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is becoming prevalent with the increasingly ageing global population. PD is a multi-factorial disease for which there is currently no cure but only mitigative therapies. The development of nanomedicine has broadened opportunities for finding new and effective neuroprotective and neurorestorative therapies, thereby offering potential solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of PD. Here we review the known mechanisms underlying the pathology of PD, including α-synuclein (α-syn) aggregation, critical gene mutations, lysosomal and mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation and gut microbiota dysbiosis. Accordingly, multiple strategies based on nanomaterials for the treatment of PD are discussed, including inhibition of the aggregation of α-syn, gene therapy, neuroprotection through mitigating oxidative stress, restoration of dopaminergic neuron damage, attenuation of neuroinflammation, as well as modulation of gut microbiota. In addition, we ponder on the safety implications of nanomaterials in PD therapies. Based on these discussions we further highlight future perspectives for the development of targeted PD therapies. Understanding and exploiting the nano-enabled PD therapies may facilitate the development of new strategies against a range of amyloid diseases.