The brake for Alzheimer's disease

The progression of Alzheimer's disease can be stopped with vitamins E and C

Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+

Scientists from Japan has demonstrated a probable link between mitochondrial oxidative damage and cognitive impairment in neurodegeneration. The situation can be corrected not only by influencing a new target, but also by correcting the diet — by adding a large amount of antioxidants to the diet.

Researchers from The Shibaura Institute of Technology has confirmed that the progression of Alzheimer's disease is associated with oxidative brain damage, which impairs cognitive functions. The new work is based on previous experiments, where scientists were able to show the connection of oxidative damage with vitamin E deficiency in rats.

Article by Yoshida et al. The relationship between cognitive dysfunction and age-related variability in oxidative markers in isolated mitochondria of Alzheimer's disease transgenic mouse brains is published in the journal Biomedicines – VM.

In addition to generating energy, mitochondria also produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which under certain conditions can attack healthy tissues and cause oxidative damage. This damage can cause mitochondrial dysfunction and lead to cell death. Because the brain uses more oxygen than other organs, it is more vulnerable to ROS damage. In addition, there is evidence confirming the association of ROS with the accumulation of beta-amyloid proteins — the main signs of developing neurodegeneration along with tau proteins.

In new experiments on mouse models, scientists have shown that the progression of Alzheimer's disease is closely related to oxidative brain damage. "We found that oxidation negatively affects mitochondria, which leads to cognitive dysfunction," commented the author of the work Koji Fukui.

It is noteworthy that against the background of cognitive deterioration, the animals did not have problems with coordination, which often occur as the disease progresses. In addition, they observed an increase in beta-amyloids in the brain of animals (especially in the hippocampus), but did not record significant changes in tau protein levels.

Consumption of antioxidant compounds can help the body mitigate ROS, for example with vitamins E and C. "In this way, mitochondria will be protected from ROS, which will preserve cognitive function," Fukui said.

Now scientists plan to identify biomarkers for early diagnosis of neurodegeneration, as well as to study compounds with high antioxidant activity that could become candidates for new drugs against dementia.

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