Recent advances in nanotechnology for combating Alzheimer's disease

As the population ages, Alzheimer's disease (AD) has become a serious health problem worldwide. However, there is almost no effective method in the clinic for AD therapy due to the complicated pathogenesis and the multiple physiological barriers for brain drug delivery, especially the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Nowadays, nanotechnology has been explored for its great potential in brain drug delivery via improving bioavailability, overcoming the BBB, precise targeting and achieving drug co-delivery. In this review, we briefly introduce the widely studied targets of AD at first. Then, we summarize the recent advances in nanotechnology for AD treatment; strategies are broadly categorized according to the therapeutic targets, including toxic protein modulation, cell targeting in AD lesion sites or microenvironment modulation. Finally, the challenges and our perspectives for future directions of nanotechnology to combat AD are also discussed.