Potential treatment of Parkinson's disease using new-generation carbon nanotubes: a biomolecular in silico study

Background: One of the underlying mechanisms of Parkinson's disease is the aggregation of alpha-synuclein proteins, including amyloids and Lewy bodies in the brain. Aim: To study the inhibitory effect of doped carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on amyloid aggregation. Materials & methods: Molecular dynamics tools were utilized to simulate the influence of CNTs doped with phosphorus, nitrogen and bromine and nitrogen on the formation of alpha-synuclein amyloid. Results: The CNTs exhibited strong interactions with alpha-synuclein, with phosphorus-doped CNTs having the most substantial interactions. Conclusion: Doped-CNTs, especially phosphorus-doped carbon nanotube could effectively prevent alpha-synuclein amyloid formation, thus, it could be considered as a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease. However, further in vitro and clinical investigations are required. [GRAPHICS]

Automated summary

The study demonstrated that doped carbon nanotubes, especially phosphorus-doped ones, can effectively prevent the aggregation of Parkinson's disease-related proteins, suggesting a potential therapeutic role.