Gold Nanoparticles Functionalized with Peptidoglycan Monomer and 1-Adamantylamine Protect Dopaminergic Neurons Against Oxidative Damages Induced by L-Dopa

Parkinson's disease (PD) is progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by a loss of dopaminergic neurons, inflammation and oxidative stress and most commonly treated with L-Dopa.Long-term use of L-Dopa is associated with motor complications and side effects, highlighting the need for improved formulations.Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) represent promising nanocarriers for improving drug delivery and reducing drug-induced toxicity.Building upon our previous work, where we demonstrated reversible binding of L-Dopa by AuNPs functionalized with peptidoglycan monomer (PGM-AuNPs) or 1-adamantylamine (Ad-AuNPs), we present here the intracellular uptake, biocompatibility, and antioxidative potential of such nanoformulations in vitro, using SH-SY5Y cells differentiated in dopaminergic neurons.Both AuNPs showed good biocompatibility, and no cytotoxicity at the tested concentrations.Intracellular uptake of AuNPs was confirmed using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy, with greater internalization seen for PGM-AuNPs compared to Ad-AuNPs.Finally, both AuNPs demonstrated the antioxidative effect under L-Dopa induced stress.These findings suggest that PGM-and Ad-AuNPs hold potential as effective nanocarriers while reducing L-Dopa induced oxidative stress.