Gender matters

A study on mice conducted at the University of Ottawa revealed differences in the effect of a certain method of treating Alzheimer's disease depending on the sex of animals: it was effective in males and ineffective in females.

Researchers have determined that beta-amyloid, which is a sign of Alzheimer's disease, affects the work of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR5) in mice differently depending on gender, proving that the mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease are fundamentally different in men and women.

Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman and Dr. Stephen Ferguson set out to evaluate memory functions in female and male mice suffering from Alzheimer's disease after treatment with a drug that selectively blocks mGluR5 to restore memory and learning. They analyzed the recovery of lost memory after treatment and its difference between males and females. In addition, the researchers determined whether the binding of toxic beta-amyloid to mGluR5 differs between male and female mice and human brain cells.

The team showed that at least one promising treatment tactic for Alzheimer's disease was effective in male mice and ineffective in female mice.

When examining the postmortem brain tissue of men and women, the results were confirmed. These selective differences can be applied to many drugs that are admitted to the pharmaceutical market or are at the stage of clinical trials

The data obtained suggest the need to be careful when planning clinical trials, since many drugs have different effects depending on gender; not all drugs that are effective in men are just as effective in women, and vice versa.

Article by K.S.Abd-Elrahman et al. Aß oligomers induce pathophysiological mGluR5 signaling in Alzheimer's disease model mice in a sex-selective manner is published in the journal Science Signaling.

Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru according to uOttawa: Sex-specific Alzheimer's treatment could benefit males over females.