Talk softly but carry a tiny stick: Stroke prevention and recovery with nanotube-delivered siRNA
(Medical Xpress) -- Of the worlds leading causes of death, stroke ranks second and occurring 8 out of 10 times is ischemic stroke: reduced blood supply to the brain creates a shortage of oxygen, glucose and other nutrients and an increase in metabolic waste, leading to neuronal damage that results in physiological impairment or death. At the molecular level, the genetic activation of the nucleic acid protein Caspase-3 a member of the cysteine-aspartic acid protease (caspase) family is a major factor in loss of neuronal tissue and associated apoptosis (programmed cell death). Post-stroke treatments known to be effective at reducing or reversing damage involve preventing Caspase-3 activation, either by genetic or pharmacological intervention. Recently, however, a group of European researchers combined these modalities by using functionalized carbon nanotubes (f-CNT) nanotubes made soluble by attaching certain molecules to their sidewalls to deliver siRNA (silencing RNA) to...