Publications by authors named "Hermine Counil"

Persistent reactive oxygen species (ROS) and neuroinflammation contribute to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases, underscoring the need for targeted therapeutic strategies to mitigate these effects. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) show promise in drug delivery due to their biocompatibility, ability to cross biological barriers, and specific interactions with cell and tissue receptors. In this study, we demonstrated that human plasma-derived EVs (pEVs) exhibit higher brain-targeting specificity, while adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells EVs (ADMSC-EVs) offer regenerative and immunomodulatory properties.

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Article Synopsis
  • Drug delivery to the brain is crucial for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, and traditional methods face obstacles due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB).
  • The study developed two novel drug delivery systems—extracellular vesicles (EVs) and polymer nanoparticles (NPs-PLA-PEG)—to enhance the transport and effectiveness of Donepezil (DNZ), an Alzheimer's medication, across the BBB.
  • Results indicated that EVs better targeted the brain and did not cause hyperactivity in zebrafish, displaying potential as a more efficient delivery method compared to nanoparticles for neurodegenerative treatments.
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Drug nanocarriers (NCs) capable of crossing the vascular endothelium and deeply penetrating into dense tissues of the CNS could potentially transform the management of neurological diseases. In the present study, we investigated the interaction of bottle-brush (BB) polymers with different biological barriers and and compared it to nanospheres of similar composition. internalization and permeability assays revealed that BB polymers are not internalized by brain-associated cell lines and translocate much faster across a blood-brain barrier model compared to nanospheres of similar hydrodynamic diameter.

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Nanosized extracellular vesicles, known as exosomes, are produced by all cell types in mammalian organisms and have been recently involved in neurodegeneration. In the brain, both glia and neurons give rise to exosomes, which contribute to their intercellular communication. In addition, brain-derived exosomes have a remarkable property to cross the blood-brain-barrier bi-directionally.

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