BaTiO3 Nanorod-Mediated Sono-Piezocatalytic Disintegration of Amyloid Fibrils.

The aggregation of amyloid proteins is responsible for a range of neurodegenerative diseases, and disintegrating these fibrils in the brain is a critical aspect for therapy. Here, we show that an ultrasound-based sono-piezocatalytic approach can be adapted for the wireless disintegration of amyloid protein fibrils in remote areas. Piezoelectric barium titanate nanorods are designed for interaction with amyloid fibrils, and ultrasound is used for the sono-piezocatalytic generation of reactive oxygen species that disintegrate fibrils into smaller fragments via oxidative degradation. We found that superoxide radicals are primarily involved in the oxidative degradation of fibrils and convert β-sheet structures into random coil structures that are nontoxic in nature. This work shows the potential of piezoelectric nanomaterials for ultrasound-based therapy of neurodegenerative diseases.