Researchers are constantly working towards better solutions to health and disease issues. Recently researchers have been working on both immune system and natural chemical solutions for treating Alzheimer’s. I asked Jody Victor® to give us some details.
Jody Victor®: A new scientific study has shown for the first time marked improvement in Alzheimer’s disease within minutes of administrating a therapeutic molecule. The study has been published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation. The study highlights the importance of soluble proteins, called cytokines, in Alzheimer’s. One of these cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), is the focus of the study. TNF regulates the transmission of neural impulses in the brain. Researchers have found that elevated levels of TNF interfere with normal transmission regulation.
In the study researchers gave Alzheimer’s patients an injection of an anti-TNF therapeutic called etanercept into their spines at the neck. Language improvement was found within minutes. One 82-year old Alzheimer’s sufferer recognized his wife for the first time in years. The etanercept (trade name Enbrel) binds and inactivates excess TNF. The FDA already approves the use of etanercept to treat a number of immune-mediated diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. “It is unprecedented that we can see cognitive and behavioral improvement in a patient with established dementia within minutes of therapeutic intervention,” says Sue Griffin, PHD, director of research at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Doctors are now calling for clinical trials.
Alzheimer’s disease researchers have also isolated bisdemethoxycurcumin- the active ingredient of curcuminoids- a natural substance found in turmeric root (a major ingredient in curry powder)- that may help boost the immune system in clearing amyloid beta, a peptide that forms the plaques found in the disease. The study provides more insight into the role of the immune system in Alzheimer’s disease. The results suggest a new drug development approach by relying on the innate immune system that is present at birth rather than on antibodies which develop later as part of an active immune system.
Scientists at UCLA and UC Riverside and the Human BioMolecular Research Institute have found that a form of vitamin D, together with a chemical found in turmeric spice called curcumin, may help stimulate the immune system to clear the brain of amyloid beta, which forms the plaques that are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Their early findings may lead to a new approach in preventing and treating Alzheimer’s by using the property of vitamin D3 alone and together with natural or synthetic curcumin. The main source for vitamin D3 is sunshine and is synthesized into the skin. Deficiencies occur during winter months or in people who spend a lot of time indoors, such as Alzheimer’s patients.
According to Dr. Milan Fiala, involved in the study at UCLA, researchers hoped that “vitamin D3 and curcumin, both naturally occurring nutrients, may offer new preventative and treatment possibilities for Alzheimer’s disease.” But researchers found that naturally occurring curcumin is not readily absorbed and that it breaks down quickly, sometimes before it can be utilized in the body. John Cashman of the Human BioMolecular Research Institute, a non-profit institute, has developed synthetic curcuminoid compounds. “We think some of the novel synthetic compounds will get around the shortcomings of curcumin and improve the therapeutic efficacy,” Cashman says.
All the Best!