Intranasal Conformal Patch for Sustained Levodopa Delivery and Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging in Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson's disease (PD) imposes a heavy burden on the aging population. Current oral levodopa (LD) treatment faces dual challenges: poor brain bioavailability due to systemic barriers and motor complications from fluctuating drug levels. While intranasal delivery offers direct brain access, bypassing the blood-brain barrier, existing formulations still struggle to maintain stable drug concentrations needed to prevent motor fluctuations. Moreover, focusing solely on dopamine supplements overlooks the underlying oxidative stress that drives disease progression. Herein, we report an intranasal conformal patch composed of silk fibroin nanofibers that achieves stable drug delivery through moisture-responsive adhesion, sustained release, and enhanced LD stability. The patch further incorporates a dual-drug strategy combining LD supplementation with reactive oxygen species scavenging to delay neurodegeneration. <i>In vivo</i> results demonstrate that this daily patch effectively delivers nanomedicines to the brain, reverses pathological status, and restores normal behavioral patterns in PD models. This wearable drug reservoir enables sustained therapeutic effects while addressing oxidative damage, representing a significant advancement in PD treatment.
Authors
- Lanxin Xiao
- Bin Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4972-9196)
- Qun-Li Lei
- Zheng Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4252-4617)
- Xinyu Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5128-4424)
- Lianhui Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9899-3148)
- Qiang He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6466-8339)
- Lingling Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2927-1333)
- Zhiqi Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5618-4182)
- Haochen Zou
- Lixing Weng
- Ting Wang
- Ting Li
- Rui Zhang
- Yun Ma
- Ye Tao
Institutions
- Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (CN)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures (CN)
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (CN)
- The Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials (CN)
- Nanjing University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Nano
- Published
- 2026-02-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c20622
- Primary Topic
- Silk-based biomaterials and applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00