TiO2 nanowired delivery of a Chinese traditional medicine DL-3-n-butylphthalide (DL-NBP) induces profound neuroprotection in concussive head injury

摘要

Our military personnel are often engaged in combat or peacekeeping operation across the World. These soldiers are prone to traumatic head or spine injury in the battlefield. Blunt head trauma is one of the most devastating injuries leading to instant death in more than 80% of the victims. Those who survive show lifetime disability. Thus, novel therapeutic strategies to treat blunt head trauma is the need of the hour. In this innovation we have explored the role of a Chinese traditional medicine DL-3-n-butylphthalide (DL-NBP) in a rat model of concussive head injury (CHI). We delivered this compound either alone or using Titanium nanowires delivery to explore the benefit of nanodrug delivery in CHI. Since CHI induces much more pronounced death and disability and so far therapeutic approaches are still elusive we showed that this traditional Chinese medicine has some values in CHI in reducing brain pathology. These neuroprotective effects of NBP are far superior when the drug was delivered using nanobiotechnology in CHI.