A natural wonder: Plant compound offers a promising new way to treat Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have reported that they have been able to reverse some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease using JAX® Mice. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, irreversible disease that primarily affects the elderly and interferes with many aspects of brain function. About 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease today, with the number expected to grow significantly as the population ages. The exact mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease are not known, but the accumulation of amyloid-ß aggregates and neuronal loss mark the disease, and there is increasing evidence that inflammation and oxidative damage play key roles. As reported in an April 30, 2007, Journal of Neurochemistry pre-publication Epub, researchers led by Brian Bacskai worked with a natural plant compound called curcumin that functions as an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. They observed that systemic treatment of mice with curcumin also significantly reduces amyloid-ß aggregates and actually reversed structural changes within the brain. Curcumin offers a promising new approach for clinical research into treating and perhaps ultimately preventing Alzheimer’s disease in humans.
