Insulin‑incubated palladium clusters promote recovery after brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause disability and death, and currently lacks specific treatments. The release of excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) after injury leads to further pathological changes. The study explores eliminating ROS as a potential therapy. The researchers synthesized insulin-incubated palladium (Pd@insulin) clusters, approximately 3.2 nm in diameter, using a green biomimetic chemistry approach. These clusters demonstrated marked multiple ROS-scavenging ability and were rapidly excreted with negligible adverse effects. In a TBI mouse model, intravenous injection of Pd@insulin clusters effectively suppressed excessive ROS production in the injured cortex. This significantly rescued motor function, cognition, and spatial memory, mainly due to their ROS-scavenging ability which inhibited neuroinflammation and reduced neuronal loss.

• 1
  Insulin-incubated palladium clusters (Pd@insulin) were successfully synthesized using a green biomimetic method and exhibited excellent multiple ROS-scavenging ability.
• 2
  Pd@insulin clusters effectively reduced ROS levels in the brains of TBI mice, leading to improved motor function, learning, and spatial memory.
• 3
  The therapeutic effects of Pd@insulin are attributed to its ROS-scavenging ability, which inhibits excessive neuroinflammation, reduces cell apoptosis, and prevents neuronal loss.