Could Curcumin Gd-AuNP (Cur-Gd-AuNP) be Suitable as a Photosensitizer for Photodynamic Therapy in Alzheimer’s Disease?

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is a common form of dementia for the elderly. According to the world health organization (WHO), around 55 million older adults have dementia globally. The current medication for Alzheimer's disease is a human antibody or immunotherapy, which helps to reduce beta-amyloid plaques. However, this cures the symptom but not the disease. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) might be a good choice for AD because it is non-pharmacological. With a few side effects only, especially in the usage of natural traditional Chinese medicine combined with nanotechnology, "curcumin" as a photosensitizer (PS), that enhances the efficacy of PDT. This short communication discusses the synthesis of curcumin Gd-AuNP (Cur-Gd-AuNP) and describes its application for PDT to treat AD in future development.