Bonding of Neuropeptide Y on Graphene Oxide for Drug Delivery Applications to the Central Nervous System
Giada Cellot, Lucas Jacquemin, Giacomo Reina, Audrey Franceschi Biagioni, Mario Fontanini, Olivier Chaloin, Yuta Nishina, Alberto Bianco, Laura Ballerini
Abstract
. Although some GBM-based nanocarriers have been tested both in vitro and in vivo, a thorough characterization of covalent binding impact on the biological properties of the carried molecule and/or of the nanomaterial is still missing. Here, a copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition strategy was employed to synthesize the GO-NPY complex. By investigating through electrophysiology the impact of these conjugates on the activity of hippocampal neurons, we show that the covalent modification of the nanomaterial, while making GO an inert platform for the vectorized delivery, enhances the duration of NPY pharmacological activity. These findings support the future use of GO for the development of smart platforms for nervous system drug delivery.