Influence of Drug-Carrier Polymers on Alpha-Synucleinopathies: A Neglected Aspect in New Therapies Development

Current therapeutic strategies to treat neurodegenerative diseases, such as alpha-synucleinopathies, aim at enhancing the amount of drug reaching the brain. Methods proposed, such as intranasal administration, should be able to bypass the blood brain barrier (BBB) and even when directly intracerebrally injected they could require a carrier to enhance local release of drugs. We have investigated the effect of a model synthetic hydrogel to be used as drug carrier on the amount of alpha-synuclein aggregates in cells in culture. The results indicated that alpha-synuclein aggregation was affected by the synthetic polymer, suggesting the need for testing the effect of any used material on the pathological process before its application as drug carrier.