title: Nanotechnological applications for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
abstract: Nanotechnology employs engineered materials or devices that interact with biological systems at a molecular level and could revolutionize the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) by stimulating, responding to and interacting with target sites to induce physiological responses while minimizing side-effects. Conventional drug delivery systems do not provide adequate cyto-architecture restoration and connection patterns that are essential for functional recovery in NDs, due to limitations posed by the restrictive blood-brain barrier. This review article provides a concise incursion into the current and future applications of nano-enabled drug delivery systems for the treatment of NDs, in particular Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, and explores the application of nanotechnology in clinical neuroscience to develop innovative therapeutic modalities for the treatment of NDs.
authors.affiliation: University of the Witwatersrand, School of Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, Parktown, 2193, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Girish
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Modi
authors.forename: Viness
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pillay
authors.forename: Yahya E
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Choonara
authors.forename: Valence M K
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Ndesendo
authors.forename: Lisa C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: du Toit
authors.forename: Dinesh
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Naidoo
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials