Design and characterization of gold and selenium nanoparticles as potential delivery systems of levodopa and dopamine

doctoral thesis

• Title (croatian): Dizajn i karakterizacija nanočestica zlata i selena kao potencijanih sustava za dostavu levodope i dopamina
• Author: Nikolina Kalčec
• Mentor: Ivana Vinković Vrček (mentor)
• Mentor: Frances Separovic https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6484-2763 (mentor)
• Committee member: Snežana Miljanić (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Maja Dutour Sikirić (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Marko Močibob (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Science; (Department of Chemistry); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2023-05-12, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: NATURAL SCIENCES; Chemistry
• Universal decimal classification (UDC): 54 - Chemistry. Crystallography. Mineralogy

Abstract

The development of new approaches in the treatment of Parkinson's disease presents a
challenge due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier, which hinders effective drug delivery
to the brain. Due to their unique physicochemical properties, nanoparticles have the potential
to improve conventional therapeutic approaches and enable targeted drug delivery across the
blood-brain barrier.
The main goal of this doctoral thesis was to synthesize and characterize differently
functionalized gold and selenium nanoparticles and to examine their interaction with
catechols (levodopa and dopamine) in order to design more effective and safer therapeutic
systems for Parkinson's disease. The process of drug binding to the nano-surface was
investigated using various spectroscopic, laser and microscopic methods, while the bloodbrain barrier permeability of prepared nano-systems was tested under in vitro settings.
The obtained results have provided a better understanding of the processes that occur during
the binding of catechol drugs to gold and selenium nanoparticles. This will potentially enable
the development of a nano-formulation with targeted drug delivery to the brain with the aim
of improving the therapy of Parkinson's disease.

Abstract (croatian)

Razvoj novih pristupa u liječenju Parkinsonove bolesti predstavlja izazov zbog prisutnosti
krvno-moždane barijere koja otežava učinkovitu dostavu lijekova u mozak. Zahvaljujući
jedinstvenim fizikalno-kemijskim svojstvima, nanočestice imaju potencijal poboljšati
konvencionalne terapijske pristupe i omogućiti ciljanu isporuku lijekova preko krvnomoždane barijere.
Glavni cilj ovog doktorskog rada bio je sintetizirati i karakterizirati različito funkcionalizirane
nanočestice zlata i selena te ispitati njihovo međudjelovanje s kateholima (levodopa i
dopamin) u svrhu dizajniranja učinkovitijih i sigurnijih terapijskih sustava za liječenje
Parkinsonove bolesti. Proces vezanja lijekova na nano-površinu ispitivao se pomoću različitih
spektroskopskih, laserskih i mikroskopskih metoda, a zatim su se provela istraživanja
propusnosti krvno-moždane barijere za novopripravljene nanosustave u in vitro uvjetima.
Dobiveni rezultati omogućili su bolje razumijevanje procesa koji se događaju prilikom
vezanja lijekova kateholne strukture i novih nanočestica zlata i selena. Na taj način potiče se
razvoj nano-formulacija s ciljanom isporukom lijekova u mozak s ciljem poboljšanja terapije
za Parkinsonovu bolest.

• Keywords: binding processes; dopamine; drug-delivery nanosystems; gold nanoparticles; levodopa; Parkinson's disease; selenium nanoparticles
• Keywords (english): dopamin; levodopa; nanočestice selena; nanočestice zlata; nanosustavi za dostavu lijekova; Parkinsonova bolest
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:217:400256
• Promotion: 2023
• Project: Number: PZS-2019-02-4323; Title: Siguran pristup za razvoj nano-sustava za ciljanu isporuku lijekova u mozak; Title: Safe-by-Design Approach for Development of Nano-Enabled-Delivery Systems to Target the Brain; Acronym: SENDER; Leader: Ivana Vinković Vrček; Jurisdiction: Croatia; Funder: HRZZ; Funding stream: PZS
• Study programme: Title: Doctoral study in chemistry; Study programme type: university; Study level: postgraduate; Academic / professional title: doktor/doktorica znanosti, područje prirodnih znanosti, polje kemija (doktor/doktorica znanosti, područje prirodnih znanosti, polje kemija)
• Type of resource: Text
• Extent: 141 str. ; 30 cm
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2023-06-12 10:25:00