Mice cured of dementia
Experimental drug for dementia has entered the stage of clinical trials
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
Scientists have demonstrated that experimental treatment improves cognitive and motor functions, and can also reverse existing changes in various neurodegenerative diseases. Therapy is aimed at improperly folded proteins, which gradually form into toxic accumulations in the brain and lead to the death of neurons.
Japanese scientists from Tohoku University presented a new compound SAK3, which protects neurons in most neurodegenerative diseases associated with improper folding of proteins. First of all, these include Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, frontotemporal dementia and Huntington's disease.
Article by Xu et al. T-type Ca2+ enhancer SAK3 activates CaMKII and proteasome activities in Lewy body dementia mice model published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences – VM.
It was known from previous studies that the SAK3 molecule, which enhances the activity of the Ca2 + T-type calcium channel, can improve memory and learning in mice with Alzheimer's disease. It is known that T-type calcium channels are crucial for the release of neurodemiators necessary for memory and learning function.
Now they have demonstrated that SAK3 enhances the activity of a system that finds and destroys misfolded proteins. In neurodegenerative diseases, this system often does not work, so improperly folded proteins form into toxic plaques and destroy neurons, the authors explain.
Experiments on mouse models have shown that the introduction of SAK3 destroys improperly folded proteins and suppresses the accumulation of amyloid proteins and alpha-synuclein.
Therapy prevented the progression of the main symptoms – disorders in cognitive and motor function – and reversed existing disorders.
Currently, neurodenerative diseases are incurable and existing drugs can only slightly slow down the progression of the disease. Further clinical trials of SAK3 will determine the potential of a new drug to combat these devastating diseases in humans.
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