Two drugs approved decades ago not only counteract brain damage caused by Alzheimer's disease in animal models, the same therapeutic combination may also improve cognition.
A promising series of early studies is highlighting two well known medicine cabinet standbys—gemfibrosil, an old-school cholesterol-lowering drug, and retinoic acid, a vitamin A derivative. Gemfibrosil, is sold as Lopid and while it's still used, it is not widely prescribed. Doctors now prefer to prescribe statins to lower cholesterol. Retinoic acid has been used in various formulations to treat everything from acne to psoriasis to cancer. The two drugs are being studied for their robust impact on the brain and a potential new role that could one day thrust them into fighting what is now an incurable brain disease. Both medications have an uncanny capability to zero in on the brain's astrocytes, cells that originally got their name because they look like stars. But astrocytes are intimately involved in a key process that progressively—and insidiously—destroys the brain.
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago have found that astrocytes may be responsible for the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ), the gooey plaque that damages neurons. As a result, these star-like cells aid in the cascade of deleterious events that rob people of their sense of self, their memories, and ultimately steals their lives. The team of medical investigators also has discovered that gemfibrozil and retinoic acid, when used in combination, force astrocytes to reverse their destructiveness, and instead reduce amyloid beta in the brain—improving cognitive function. The findings suggest that, perhaps in the not-too-distant future, these drugs can be repurposed to coax astrocytes into a beneficial role, serving as Aβ "clearing machines," eliminating the accumulation of plaques and preventing Alzheimer's from unraveling the brain.
Read More: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-11-treatment-alzheimer-pharmacy-shelves-decades.html
A promising series of early studies is highlighting two well known medicine cabinet standbys—gemfibrosil, an old-school cholesterol-lowering drug, and retinoic acid, a vitamin A derivative. Gemfibrosil, is sold as Lopid and while it's still used, it is not widely prescribed. Doctors now prefer to prescribe statins to lower cholesterol. Retinoic acid has been used in various formulations to treat everything from acne to psoriasis to cancer. The two drugs are being studied for their robust impact on the brain and a potential new role that could one day thrust them into fighting what is now an incurable brain disease. Both medications have an uncanny capability to zero in on the brain's astrocytes, cells that originally got their name because they look like stars. But astrocytes are intimately involved in a key process that progressively—and insidiously—destroys the brain.
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago have found that astrocytes may be responsible for the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ), the gooey plaque that damages neurons. As a result, these star-like cells aid in the cascade of deleterious events that rob people of their sense of self, their memories, and ultimately steals their lives. The team of medical investigators also has discovered that gemfibrozil and retinoic acid, when used in combination, force astrocytes to reverse their destructiveness, and instead reduce amyloid beta in the brain—improving cognitive function. The findings suggest that, perhaps in the not-too-distant future, these drugs can be repurposed to coax astrocytes into a beneficial role, serving as Aβ "clearing machines," eliminating the accumulation of plaques and preventing Alzheimer's from unraveling the brain.
Read More: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-11-treatment-alzheimer-pharmacy-shelves-decades.html
No comments :
Post a Comment