Brain slices of mice that received nano-photosynthetic therapy (right) have fewer damaged neurons, shown in green, than control mice (left).
CREDIT: Adapted from Nano Letters 2021, DOI: 10.10.21/acs.nanolett.1c00719
Blocked blood vessels in the brains of stroke patients prevent oxygen-rich blood from getting to cells, causing severe damage. Plants and some microbes produce oxygen through photosynthesis. What if there was a way to make photosynthesis happen in the brains of patients?
Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters have done just that in cells and in mice, using blue-green algae and special nanoparticles, in a proof-of-concept demonstration.
Strokes result in the deaths of 5 million people worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization. Millions more survive, but they often experience disabilities, such as difficulties with speech, swallowing or memory. The most common cause is a blood vessel blockage in the brain, and the best way to prevent permanent brain damage from this type of stroke is to dissolve or surgically remove the blockage as soon as possible. However, those options only work within a narrow time window after the stroke happens and can be risky. Blue-green algae, such as Synechococcus elongatus, have been studied previously to treat the lack of oxygen in heart tissue and tumors using photosynthesis. But the visible light needed to trigger the microbes can’t penetrate the skull, and although near-infrared light can pass through, it is insufficient to directly power photosynthesis. “Up-conversion” nanoparticles, often used for imaging, can absorb near-infrared photons and emit visible light. So, Lin Wang, Zheng Wang, Guobin Wang and colleagues at Huazhong University of Science and Technology wanted to see if they could develop a new approach that could someday be used for stroke patients by combining these parts — S. elongatus, nanoparticles and near-infrared light — in a new “nano-photosynthetic” system.
The researchers paired S. elongatus with neodymium up-conversion nanoparticles that transform tissue-penetrating near-infrared light to a visible wavelength that the microbes can use to photosynthesize. In a cell study, they found that the nano-photosynthesis approach reduced the number of neurons that died after oxygen and glucose deprivation. They then injected the microbes and nanoparticles into mice with blocked cerebral arteries and exposed the mice to near-infrared light. The therapy reduced the number of dying neurons, improved the animals’ motor function and even helped new blood vessels to start growing. Although this treatment is still in the animal testing stage, it has promise to advance someday toward human clinical trials, the researchers say.
Original Article: An illuminating possibility for stroke treatment: Nano-photosynthesis
More from: Huazhong University of Science and Technology
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Nano-photosynthetic system
- Researchers shed new light on carboxysomes in key discovery that could boost photosynthesis
A research team led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has discovered how carboxysomes—carbon-fixing structures found in some bacteria and algae—work. The breakthrough could ...
- What is nano-texture glass and do I need it?
On some Apple products, including the Apple Studio Display and M4 iPad Pro, a feature called nano-texture glass is available. This is something that was first introduced on the incredibly ...
- Accurion's halcyonics_nano series Active Vibration Isolation System
The ultra-compact isolator of the Nano_20 only weighs 5.6 kg (12.3 lbs)! Setting up the Nano system is exceptionally easy. It does not require any tuning or load adjustment prior to its use.
- Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 portable SSD review: 4TB of fast, tiny storage
While the Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 isn’t the fastest 20Gbps SSD ... which also contains the operating system. For external drives, the motherboard’s dedicated Thunderbolt 4 and 20Gbps USB ...
- Tata Nano
The dashboard of the Nano GenX is the one that we first saw in the Nano Twist. It gets different colour combinations for different trims and looks way better than the old model. The centre console ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Nano-photosynthetic system
[google_news title=”” keyword=”nano-photosynthetic system” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Nano-photosynthesis
- Small But Mighty, Plankton Are Some Of The Most Powerful Creatures On Earth
If you go to the beach and dip a bucket in the sea, you might at first think it contains lifeless water. But examine that water under a microscope a ...
- Researchers shed new light on carboxysomes in key discovery that could boost photosynthesis
A research team led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has discovered how carboxysomes—carbon-fixing structures found in some bacteria and algae—work. The breakthrough could ...
- What is nano-texture glass and do I need it?
On some Apple products, including the Apple Studio Display and M4 iPad Pro, a feature called nano-texture glass is available. This is something that was first introduced on the incredibly ...
- The Science of Beauty: How Bleeding-Edge Biotech Is Transforming How We Look
“They carry proteins, lipids, and small genetic contents, and are nano-sized so they can easily penetrate the ... The company’s proprietary Airmade technology “mimics the process of photosynthesis to ...
- Researchers hijacked bacteria to produce sustainable, meat-like protein
By now, we’ve all heard that eating meat is not good for the planet. The industry produces a lot of emissions and uses up a lot of environmental resources. But realistically, the only way most people ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Nano-photosynthesis
[google_news title=”” keyword=”nano-photosynthesis” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]