Iron oxide nanoparticles conjugated to Amylovis^® with potential applications in the early detection of Alzheimer´s disease

An early aggregation of amyloid plaques (βA) in the brain, principally composed of beta amyloid peptides, characterizes Alzheimer's disease (AD). Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) helps visualize these structures with greater sensitivity and sharpness (resolutions). Still, it is necessary to contrast agents functionalized with compounds related to βA. The Cuban Neuroscience Center has developed a new family of naphthalene derivatives compounds called Amylovis^®, to be used to diagnose AD through MRI. In silico studies, using coupling techniques and molecular dynamics of these molecules, show that more than ten compounds have a high affinity for the βA_1-42 peptide. The use of contrast agents allows obtaining images with greater clarity. The most used contrast agents today in the clinic are based on metal oxide nanoparticles. The goal of this work is to synthesize, by coprecipitation method, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) coated at first with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) and later with dicarboxylic polyethyleneglycol (PEGdiCOOH₆₀₀), to be conjugated to Amylovis^®, through the Steglich reaction. The values of the diameters of the IONPs@APTES@PEGdiCOOH₆₀₀-Amylovis^®, obtained by DLS, justify its use as a contrast agent.