{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T19:07:51Z","timestamp":1788376071208,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]],"date-time":"2026-01-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768521600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["NS110800"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NS110800"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Overcoming the blood-brain barrier to deliver therapeutics is a major hurdle in treating diseases of the central nervous system. We engineered 4-arm carboxyl terminated poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles with the fungal metalloprotease Mpr1, an enzyme utilized by the neurotropic pathogen\n                    <jats:italic>Cryptococcus neoformans<\/jats:italic>\n                    (\n                    <jats:italic>Cn<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) to cross the blood-brain barrier. Nanoparticles were prepared using a modified single emulsion solvent evaporation technique, and characterized in terms of shape, size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and toxicity to brain microvascular endothelial cells. Mpr1-functionalized nanoparticles had increased penetration over non-functionalized nanoparticles in an\n                    <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                    model of the blood-brain barrier. When encapsulating amphotericin B, a potent antifungal drug, Mpr1-functionalized nanoparticles reduced fungal burden in an\n                    <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                    model of neural cryptococcosis. Loaded nanoparticles also had an 8-fold lower minimum inhibitory concentration against\n                    <jats:italic>Cn<\/jats:italic>\n                    and\n                    <jats:italic>Candida albicans<\/jats:italic>\n                    (\n                    <jats:italic>Ca<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) compared to unencapsulated amphotericin B. Results indicate that Mpr1-coating of polymeric nanoparticles is a promising strategy to enhance drug delivery to the brain.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0340202","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]],"date-time":"2026-01-16T18:34:40Z","timestamp":1768588480000},"page":"e0340202","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Conjugation of a Cryptococcus neoformans-derived metalloprotease to antifungal-loaded PLGA nanoparticles treats neural cryptococcosis in an in vitro model"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Dylan 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