Designed Liquid Crystalline Nanoassemblies From Clinically Validated Polyunsaturated Lipids for Combined Antioxidant, Anti-Apoptotic, and Neurotrophic Treatments.
📄 Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases present a significant challenge in modern medicine, largely due to the interplay of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and neuroinflammation. The development of advanced materials capable of simultaneously regulating multiple pathological processes is a critical unmet need. Here, we introduce ionizable pH-responsive lyotropic liquid crystalline nanocarriers as a promising self-assembled materials-based solution for neuroregeneration. We engineered non-lamellar polyunsaturated (DLin-MC3-DMA)-based lipid nanoassemblies with a unique combination of antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and neurotrophic functionalities. By incorporating a multi-targeted phytochemical blend (quercetin, ginkgolides B and C, and kaempferol), the lipid-based nanomedicines effectively suppress inflammatory mediators (IL-1β, NF-κB, and JNK1/2) and stimulate endogenous antioxidant defenses via NRF2/ARE activation. The mechanistic involvement of the mTOR/AKT/BDNF/GSK3β pathway was examined to assess the in vitro therapeutic potential of the antioxidant‑loaded lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). The designed assemblies activate pro‑survival (p‑AKT/mTOR) and neurotrophic (BDNF) signaling pathways while preserving mitochondrial integrity in a cellular neurodegeneration model. The ionizable nature of DLin‑MC3‑DMA imparts pH‑responsiveness to the LNPs, driving a progressive enrichment of the inverted hexagonal (H