[충청신문=대전] Reporter Da-eun Noh = Low-frequency magnetic field-responsive nanoparticles that can decompose substances that cause Alzheimer’s disease have been developed.
It is expected to contribute to the medical field by decomposing amyloid aggregates that cause various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease in the future.
According to KAIST on the 16th, magneto-electric materials have properties that combine magnetism and electricity, and are a core material that composes various electronic devices such as spintronics devices and transducers.
However, the performance of this material was limited due to the electrostatic interaction of protons that interfere with the rotation and orbital motion of electrons in atoms.
Accordingly, the research team led by Professor Chan-Beom Park of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering succeeded in developing heteromagnetic electrical nanoparticles by bonding cobalt ferrite and bismuth ferrite, which are mainly used in semiconductor and battery fields, into a core-shell structure.
In particular, the research team paid attention to the phenomenon that nanoparticles do not emit heat when generating charge carriers in response to low-frequency magnetic fields.
The magnetic field can penetrate brain tissue without damage and its medical safety has already been verified when used in magnetic resonance imaging.
Amyloid aggregates are commonly observed in various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and are difficult to decompose because they have a very stable secondary protein structure through regular hydrogen bonding.
The research team oxidized the beta-amyloid peptide by applying a low-frequency magnetic field to the developed nanoparticles.
As a result, it was observed that the binding strength of amyloid aggregates was weakened and degraded, and neurotoxicity was also neutralized.
Professor Park Chan-beom said, “Low-frequency magnetic field-responsive nanomaterials have low toxicity and have the potential to be expanded into the medical field because they can efficiently decompose amyloid aggregates by reacting with magnetic fields.”