Probing Alzheimer’s disease with transition metals

amyloid fibrils

Group 9 metal complexes can inhibit amyloid aggregation, thought to be responsible for neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease patients.

Dik-Lung Ma (University of Hong Kong) and colleagues made iridium(III) and rhodium(III) complexes that can both inhibit the aggregation of Ab1-40 peptides and acts as luminescent probes for the peptides. Their iridium complex is the first example of a transition metal complex that displays a ‘switch-on’ luminescence response upon binding to Ab1-40 peptides; the magnitude of response can be used to distinguish between the peptide’s monomeric and fibrillar forms.

Read the full Edge Article for free in Chemical Science.

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