Safety Evaluation of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Using Wild Type and Transgenic Drosophila Melanogaster Model of Alzheimers Disease

Abstract

Alzheimer s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes progressive deterioration of memory, cognitive skills, locomotor functions, and quality of life. AD is a multifactorial disease characterised by the increased deposition of neurotoxic proteins such as amyloid-beta (Aand#946;) peptide and human tau (htau) protein in the brain, oxidative stress, and reduction in cholinergic neurotransmission. Currently, only 4 drugs are Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - approved and these drugs provide only symptomatic relief. A number of small molecules and compounds are currently under investigation for AD, among which cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2-NPs) have emerged as a promising therapeutic candidate mainly due to their antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities. However, CeO2-NPs are also controversial for their ability to exert both beneficial and toxic effects. When compared to the Aand#946; peptide, the htau protein is more neurotoxic and its increased deposition is associated with neuronal cell death and neurodegeneration newline