Ricerc@Sapienza

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal and progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting motor neurons in motor cortex and spinal cord. The etiology of ALS is multifactorial; however, growing evidence points to oxidative stress and neuroinflammation as pathological features mainly contributing to neurodegeneration. Oxidative stress promotes an aberrant modulation of several genes and proteins which, in turn, elicits a pro-inflammatory environment, involving both the central nervous system and peripheral immune system. Next to soluble factors, such as cytokines and chemokines, extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by both nervous and immune cells are likely to take part in the spreading of the damage and inflammation. Actually, several compounds with antioxidant properties are under investigation as potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including curcumin. Despite its great therapeutic potential, medical use of curcumin display some limits, including poor bioavailability; however, this issue could be solved with the use of nanocarriers. The aim of the project is to characterize the role of EVs in ALS inflammation in an in vitro system, and to evaluate the antioxidant effects of curcumin-loaded nanoparticles. To date, ALS is still a poorly understood disease, and therapies currently available are largely ineffective. Unravelling the mechanisms involved in oxidative stress and inflammation may contribute to the understanding of ALS pathogenesis and have an impact on the pursuit of new therapeutic strategies.