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Advances in large-scale proteomics analysis have been very useful in understanding pathogenesis of diseases and elaborating therapeutic strategies. Proteomics has been employed to study Parkinson disease (PD); however, sparse studies reported proteome investigation after cell therapy approaches. In this study, we used liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and systems biology to identify differentially expressed proteins in a translational mouse model of PD after cell therapy. Proteins were extracted from five nigrostriatal-related brain regions of mice previously lesioned with 6-hydroxydopamine in the substantia nigra. Protein expression was compared in non-grafted brain to 1 and 7 days after intranigral grafting of E12.5 embryonic ventral mesencephalon (VM). We found a total of 277 deregulated proteins after transplantation, which are enriched for lipid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation and PD, thus confirming that our animal model is similar to human PD and that the presence of grafted cells modulates the expression of these proteins. Notably, seven proteins (Acta1, Atp6v1e1, Eci3, Lypla2, Pip4k2a, Sccpdh, and Sh3gl2) were commonly down-regulated after engraftment in all studied brain regions. These proteins are known to be involved in the formation of lipids and recycling of dopamine (DA) vesicle at the synapse. Moreover, intranigral transplantation of VM cells decreased the expression of proteins related to oxidative stress, especially in the nigrostriatal pathway containing the DA grafted neurons. In the same regions, an up-regulation of several proteins including α-synuclein and tyrosine hydroxylase was observed, whereas expression of tetraspanin 7 was shut down. Overall, these results suggest that intranigral transplantation of VM tissue in an animal model of PD may induce a decrease of oxidative stress in the nigrostriatal pathway and a restoration of the machinery of neurotransmitters, particularly DA release to promote DA transmission through a decrease of D2 DA receptors endocytosis. Identification of new mechanistic elements involved in the nigrostriatal reconstruction process, using translational animal models and systems biology, is a promising approach to enhance the repair of this pathway in PD patients undergoing cell therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The remarkable increase in the prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases has become a serious public health problem. Considering the lack of effective treatments to address these diseases and the difficulties in accessing the brain due to the blood–brain barrier (BBB), to attain a successful strategy to improve drug delivery to the brain, the administration route becomes a point of interest. The intranasal route provides a non-invasive method to bypass the BBB. Moreover, the development of new technologies for the protection and delivery of peptides is an interesting approach to consider. Thus, in this work, a suitable chitosan coated nanostructured lipid carrier (CS-NLC) formulation with the capacity to reach the brain after being intranasally administered was successfully developed and optimized. The optimal formulation displayed a particle size of 114 nm with a positive surface charge of +28 mV. The in vitro assays demonstrated the biocompatibility of the nanocarrier and its cellular uptake by 16HBE14o- cells. Furthermore, no haemagglutination or haemolysis processes were observed when the particles were incubated with erythrocytes, and no toxicity signals appeared in the nasal mucosa of mice after the administration of CS-NLCs. Finally, the biodistribution study of CS-NLC-DiR demonstrated an efficient brain delivery of the particles after intranasal administration. In conclusion, CS-NLC can be considered to be a safe and effective nanocarrier for nose-to-brain drug delivery; however, to obtain a higher concentration of the drug in the brain following intranasal administration, further modifications are warranted in the CS-NLC formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]