Liposomes bi-functionalized with phosphatidic acid and an ApoE-derived peptide affect Aβ aggregation features and cross the blood-brain-barrier: Implications for therapy of Alzheimer disease

Targeting amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) within the brain is a strategy actively sought for therapy of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated the ability of liposomes bi-functionalized with phosphatidic acid and with a modified ApoE-derived peptide (mApoE-PA-LIP) to affect Aβ aggregation/disaggregation features and to cross in vitro and in vivo the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Surface plasmon resonance showed that bi-functionalized liposomes strongly bind Aβ (kD=0.6μM), while Thioflavin-T and SDS-PAGE/WB assays show that liposomes inhibit peptide aggregation (70% inhibition after 72h) and trigger the disaggregation of preformed aggregates (60% decrease after 120h incubation). Moreover, experiments with dually radiolabelled LIP suggest that bi-functionalization enhances the passage of radioactivity across the BBB either in vitro (permeability=2.5×10-5cm/min, 5-fold higher with respect to mono-functionalized liposomes) or in vivo in healthy mice. Taken together, our results suggest that mApoE-PA-LIP are valuable nanodevices with a potential applicability in vivo for the treatment of AD. From the Clinical Editor: Bi-functionalized liposomes with phosphatidic acid and a modified ApoE-derived peptide were demonstrated to influence Aβ aggregation/disaggregation as a potential treatment in an Alzheimer's model. The liposomes were able to cross the blood-brain barrier in vitro and in vivo. Similar liposomes may become clinically valuable nanodevices with a potential applicability for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease