No abstract

Despite clinical evidence indicating a close relationship between olfactory dysfunction and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), further investigations are warranted to determine the diagnostic potential of nasal surrogate biomarkers for AD. In this study, we first identified soluble amyloid-β (Aβ), the key biomarker of AD, in patient nasal discharge using proteomic analysis. Then, we profiled the significant differences in Aβ oligomers level between patient groups with mild or moderate cognitive decline (n = 39) and an age-matched normal control group (n = 21) by immunoblot analysis and comparing the levels of Aβ by a self-standard method with interdigitated microelectrode sensor systems. All subjects received the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) for grouping. We observed higher levels of Aβ oligomers in probable AD subjects with lower MMSE, higher CDR, and higher GDS compared to the normal control group. Moreover, mild and moderate subject groups could be distinguished based on the increased composition of two oligomers, 12-mer Aβ*56 and 15-mer AβO, respectively. The longitudinal cohort study confirmed that the cognitive decline of mild AD patients with high nasal discharge Aβ*56 levels advanced to the moderate stage within three years. Our clinical evidence strongly supports the view that the presence of oligomeric Aβ proteins in nasal discharge is a potential surrogate biomarker of AD and an indicator of cognitive decline progression.

Graphene-based e-textile gas sensors have received significant attention as wearable electronic devices for human healthcare and environmental monitoring. Theoretically, more the attached graphene on the devices, better is the gas-sensing performance. However, it has been hampered by poor adhesion between graphene and textile platforms. Meanwhile, amyloid nanofibrils are reputed for their ability to improve adhesion between materials, including between graphene and microorganisms. Despite that fact, there has been no attempt to apply amyloid nanofibrils to fabricate graphene-based e-textiles. By biomimicking the adhesion ability of amyloid nanofibrils, herein, we developed a graphene−amyloid nanofibril hybrid e-textile yarn (RGO/amyloid nanofibril/CY) for the detection of NO 2 . Compared to traditional e-textile yarn, the RGO/amyloid nanofibril/CY showed better performance in response time, sensing efficiency, sensitivity, and selectivity for NO 2 . Last, we suggested a practical use of RGO/ amyloid nanofibril/CY combined with a light-emitting diode as a wearable e-textile gas sensor.

The generation of toxic amyloid β (Aβ) oligomers is a central feature of the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Drug discoveries for Aβ oligomer degradation have been hampered by the difficulty of Aβ oligomer purification and a lack of screening tools. Here, we report a plasmonic nanoparticle amyloid corona (PNAC) for quantifying the efficacy of Aβ oligomeric aggregate-degrading drugs. Our strategy is to monitor the drug-induced degradation of oligomeric aggregates by analyzing the colorimetric responses of PNACs. To test our strategy, we use Aβ-degrading proteases (protease XIV and MMP-9) and subsequently various small-molecule substances that have shown benefits in the treatment of AD. We demonstrate that this strategy with PNAC can identify effective drugs for eliminating oligomeric aggregates. Thus, this approach presents an appealing opportunity to reduce attrition problems in drug discovery for AD treatment.