Against diabetes and Alzheimer's

Scientists have found in cholesterol the key to the treatment of diabetes and Alzheimer's disease

Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+

A new experimental treatment strategy can become a universal means of therapy for both type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, scientists have found.

The research results have been published in the journals ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science and EBioMedicine – VM.

Dementia and diabetes remain one of the main diseases in terms of the increase in morbidity, so new effective methods of treatment are especially necessary. Researchers from the University of Arizona knew that Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes have many common causes and sought to identify compounds that would work against the two conditions simultaneously.

Type 2 diabetes is known to occur when insulin loses its ability to remove glucose from the bloodstream, resulting in elevated blood sugar levels and potentially high cholesterol levels. A similar situation is observed in Alzheimer's disease, scientists explain, but with neurodegeneration, the consequences are localized in the brain.

So, when cholesterol rises due to insulin resistance or other factors, a process called reverse cholesterol transport is triggered in the body, during which certain molecules transfer excess cholesterol to the liver. One of these molecules is the protein apolipoprotein E (APOE).

APOE is also a major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, reduced activity of another cholesterol transporter ABCA1 correlates with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

"Moving cholesterol to where it is needed in the body has a positive effect on many physiological processes and can help clear the wrong folded proteins accumulating in the brain," explains study author Gregory Thatcher.

Scientists believe that increasing the activity of ABCA1 will positively affect the transmission of insulin signals and reduce inflammation in the brain. In their opinion, this is a potential remedy for both diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

At this stage of the experiments, researchers have developed a way to identify small molecules that improve the function of ABCA1 in the body and at the same time avoid unwanted complications on the liver. Testing of one of them – CL2-57 – has already demonstrated improvements in glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, overweight and others.

Now they intend to use the properties of these small molecules to increase their levels in the brain. Ultimately, the authors intend to determine in which patients with dementia this experimental treatment will be effective.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru