Exosomes in Parkinson: Revisiting Their Pathologic Role and Potential Applications.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor. Considerable progress has been made to understand the exact mechanism leading to this disease. Most of what is known comes from the evidence of PD brains' autopsies showing a deposition of Lewy bodies-containing a protein called α-synuclein (α-syn)-as the pathological determinant of PD. α-syn predisposes neurons to neurotoxicity and cell death, while the other associated mechanisms are mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, which are underlying precursors to the death of dopaminergic neurons at the substantia nigra pars compacta leading to disease progression. Several mechanisms have been proposed to unravel the pathological cascade of these diseases; most of them share a particular similarity: cell-to-cell communication through exosomes (EXOs). EXOs are intracellular membrane-based vesicles with diverse compositions involved in biological and pathological processes, which their secretion is driven by the NLR family pyrin domain-containing three proteins (NLRP3) inflammasome. Toxic biological fibrils are transferred to recipient cells, and the disposal of damaged organelles through generating mitochondrial-derived vesicles are suggested mechanisms for developing PD. EXOs carry various biomarkers; thus, they are promising to diagnose different neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). As nanovesicles, the applications of EXOs are not only restricted as diagnostics but also expanded to treat NDDs as therapeutic carriers and nano-scavengers. Herein, the aim is to highlight the potential incrimination of EXOs in the pathological cascade and progression of PD and their role as biomarkers and therapeutic carriers for diagnosing and treating this neuro-debilitating disorder.

An updated review of mesoporous carbon as a novel drug delivery system.

The nanotechnology approach has been recently adopted to provide more reliable, effective, controlled, and safe drug delivery systems. Nanostructured materials have gained great interest, including siliceous and carbonaceous nanoparticles. The effectiveness of mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (MCNs) in tumor imaging, targeting, and treatment is urging for more future studies. MCNs possess superior properties such as their biocompatibility, large surface area, large pore volume, tunability, and more responsive behavior to internal and external release triggers. These outstanding features make MCNs more applicable for stimuli-responsive drug delivery than the conventional forms of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) and other carbon nanoparticles. In this review, we outlined the latest updates regarding the safety, benefits, and potential applications of MCNs.