Gyeonggawon Discovers 'Gold Nanoparticle' Material with Alzheimer's Dementia Improvement Effects

The Gyeonggi-do Economic Science Promotion Agency, in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), has developed a candidate substance that combines natural products and gold nanotechnology to improve Alzheimer's dementia.

The Bio Research and Development Team at the agency announced on the 18th that their research, which demonstrated the therapeutic effects of combining natural products and gold nanotechnology on Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative disorder, was published as the cover article in the March issue of the international journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience.

ACS Chemical Neuroscience is a monthly peer-reviewed journal published by the American Chemical Society, covering interdisciplinary fields of neuroscience and chemistry.

The research involved Dr. Choi Chunhwan (Bio Research and Development Team) from the agency and a joint research team from KIST.

The joint research team focused on the ability of gold nanoparticles (AuNP) to effectively deliver drugs, overcoming the limitations of natural compounds that previously had low productivity.

A joint research team from the Gyeonggi-do Economic Science Promotion Agency and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology has demonstrated the therapeutic effects of combining natural substances with gold nanotechnology to treat Alzheimer's disease, a type of degenerative disorder. The research results were published as the cover article in the March issue of the international journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience. Photo by Gyeonggi-do Economic Science Promotion Agency

The unique properties of gold nanoparticles enhanced the Alzheimer's treatment effect by combining with afzelin, a natural compound extracted from the herbal medicine Chilhaemok (Ribes fasciculatum).

Chilhaemok (Ribes fasciculatum) is a deciduous broadleaf shrub used as a diuretic and antipyretic in traditional medicine. Afzelin extracted from Chilhaemok is a plant-derived natural product exhibiting various physiological activities.

The research team confirmed that gold nanoparticles act as a drug carrier that maximizes the efficacy of afzelin, increasing neuroprotective effects. They also revealed that gold nanotechnology restores the cholinergic system in the hippocampus and enhances neurotransmitter activity, thereby improving cognitive function.

Kim Hyungon, director of the agency, stated, "The Bio Industry Headquarters has been developing bio-materials and promoting industrialization through continuous research and development (R&D). We will continue to devote our efforts to developing materials for the improvement and treatment of senile diseases and various other conditions in an aging society."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.