Healthy basil
Plant-derived substance reduces brain damage in Alzheimer's disease
According to a new study, fennel, a natural compound commonly found in the essential oils of some plants, including basil, reduces the severity of Alzheimer's disease by activating signaling by the FFAR2 receptor (free fatty acid receptor 2, free fatty acid receptor 2).
New data show that short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) — metabolites produced by beneficial intestinal bacteria and serving as the main source of nutrition for colon cells — contribute to brain health. The amount of SCFA is often reduced in elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia. However, it remains unknown how this decrease in SCFA contributes to the development of Alzheimer's disease. Short-chain fatty acids obtained from the intestine, which enter the brain through the blood, can activate the FFAR2 receptor on neurons.
"Our study found for the first time that stimulating the FFAR2 perception mechanism by these microbial metabolites may be useful for protecting brain cells from the toxic accumulation of the beta-amyloid protein associated with Alzheimer's disease," said Professor Hariom Yadav from Wake Forest School of Medicine and the University of South Florida.
Professor Yadav and his colleagues studied the function of FFAR2 in the brain. They showed for the first time that inhibition of the FFAR2 receptor promotes abnormal accumulation of beta-amyloid, causing neurotoxicity associated with Alzheimer's disease. They then performed a large-scale virtual screening of more than 144,000 natural compounds to find potential candidates that could mimic the positive effect of SCFA produced by the microbiota on the activation of FFAR2 signaling. "Determining a natural compound alternative to SCFAs for optimal effects on the FFAR2 receptor on neurons is important because intestinal cells and other The organs consume most of these microbial metabolites before they reach the brain through the circulatory system," says Professor Yadav.
The researchers found 15 candidates and then chose the best of them — fennel, which most successfully bound to the active site of the FFAR2 receptor.
Further experiments on human nerve cell cultures, as well as on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and mouse models of Alzheimer's disease demonstrated that by stimulating the transmission of FFAR2 signals, fenchol significantly reduces the excessive accumulation of beta-amyloid and the death of neurons. When scientists took a closer look at the effects of fennel, they found that this compound reduces the number of aging neurons, also known as "zombie cells", which are usually found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. "Fennel affects two related mechanisms of aging and proteolysis," says Professor Yadav. "It reduces the formation of half-dead zombie neural cells, and also increases the degradation of beta-amyloid, so that the amyloid protein is excreted from the brain much faster."
By studying fennel as a possible treatment or prevention of Alzheimer's disease, a team of researchers will be looking for answers to several questions. "The key question is whether fennel consumed with basil will be more biologically active (effective) than isolated in pure form and taken in tablets," says Professor Yadav.
The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience (Razazan et al., Activation of Microbiota Sensing – Free Fatty Acid Receptor 2 Signaling Ameliorates Amyloid-β Induced Neurotoxicity by Modulating Proteolysis-Senescence Axis).
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