Feng Guo,1,* Qingman Li,1,* Xiaolin Zhang,2,* Yiheng Liu,3 Jie Jiang,4 Shuanghuai Cheng,1 Si Yu,1 Xingfang Zhang,1,5 Fangfang Liu,6 Yiying Li,1 Gregory Rose,7 Haiying Zhang1 1Public Research Laboratory of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 571199, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Child Cognition & Behavior Development of Hainan Province, Qiongtai Normal University, Haikou, 571127, People’s Republic of China; 3Haikou Hospital Affiliated to Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Haikou, 570208, People’s Republic of China; 4Scientific Experiment Center of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 571199, People’s Republic of China; 5The First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical College, Haikou, 570102, People’s Republic of China; 6Laboratory Department, Nanping First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Fujian, 353006, People’s Republic of China; 7Departments of Anatomy and Physiology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Gregory Rose, Departments of Anatomy and Physiology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA, Tel +1 618-303-6503, Email grose@siumed.edu Haiying Zhang, Public Research Laboratory of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 571199, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13907533247, Email hyzhang_xjtu2013@aliyun.comAbstract: There are currently approximately 50 million victims of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) worldwide. The exact cause of the disease is unknown at this time, but amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain are hallmarks of the disease. Current drug treatments for AD may slow the progression of the disease and improve the quality of life of patients, but they are often only minimally effective and are not cures. A major obstacle to developing and delivering more effective drug therapies is the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which prevents many compounds with therapeutic potential from reaching the central nervous system. Nanotechnology may provide a solution to this problem. Among the medical nanomaterials currently being studied, carbon dots (CDs) have attracted widespread attention because of their ability to cross the BBB, non-toxicity, and potential for drug/gene delivery.Graphical Abstract: Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, blood-brain barrier, nanoparticles, carbon dots, gene delivery
