研究表明，两种植物衍生化合物的新联合疗法可逆转小鼠的认知障碍
至少有 50 万人与 阿尔茨海默氏病 全世界。 到 152 年，阿尔茨海默病患者总数可能超过 2050 亿。阿尔茨海默病 (AD) 患者认知障碍的第一个迹象是记忆问题和决策能力受损。 随着疾病的进展，患者会出现明显的记忆力减退和认知困难。 阿尔茨海默病无法治愈，也无法阻止或减缓其进展 疾病. 有限的药物和其他选择可以缓解一些症状。 在阿尔茨海默病中，淀粉样蛋白斑块在患者大脑的神经元之间积聚。 在健康人群中， 蛋白质 fragments called amyloid beta protein are broken down and removed. But in case of 阿尔茨海默氏症, these fragments accumulate to form hard, insoluble amyloid plaques which contribute to impaired transmission of impulses across neurons and cause subsequent symptoms of 阿尔茨海默氏症 疾病。
在发表的一项研究 生物化学学报，研究人员已经表明，组合 治疗 could reverse symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in mice who were genetically predisposed to develop 阿尔茨海默氏症. Two promising plant-derived compounds were explored which have complimentary amyloidogenic properties, firstly EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) an important component of green tea and secondly FA (ferulic acid) which is present in tomatoes, rice, oats and carrots. Such natural dietary compounds are called ‘nutraceuticals’ – compounds which are well-tolerated natural supplements, have drug-like properties and could be simply incorporated into one’s diet.
为了分析，32 只小鼠具有 阿尔茨海默氏症 like symptoms were randomly assigned into four groups. Each group had equal number of males and females and also healthy mice. When mice were 12 months old, they were given either (a) EGCG and FA (b) EGCG or FA or (c) a placebo once daily for a period of 3 months. The dosage given was 30 mg per kg of body weight as this dose is well-tolerated by humans and can be consumed as portion of a healthy dietary supplement. Before and after this special diet administration, researchers conducted neuropsychological tests which can analyze thinking and memory and thus make assessments about the disease. One of the tests done for memory assessment was the ‘Y-shaped maze’ which can test a mouse’s spatial working memory analogous to a human finding a way out of a building. Mice with 阿尔茨海默氏症 like symptoms cannot navigate such a maze with ease as compared to healthy counterparts.
After administration of special diet for three months, mice having 阿尔茨海默氏症 like symptoms performed similar to healthy mice in learning and memory tests. This suggested that combination therapy of EGCG-FA reverses cognitive impairment in mice having 阿尔茨海默氏症 like symptoms. Mice treated with combination of EGCG-FA exhibited reduced abundance of amyloid-beta proteins when compared with individual treatment of these compounds. The underlying mechanism could be the ability of these compounds to prevent amyloid precursor proteins from breaking down into smaller protein fragments – amyloid beta – which accumulate in an 阿尔茨海默氏症 patient’s brain as plaques. EGCG and FA together reduced neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in the brain – both of which are important part of Alzheimer’s in humans. Research which is successful in mice may not translate in humans but such plant-derived substances or supplements offer significant promise towards Alzheimer’s therapeutics in humans.
这项对小鼠的成功研究可能为人体试验铺平道路。 这种植物来源的物质或补充剂为阿尔茨海默氏症的治疗提供了重要的希望。
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来源（S）
森 T 等人。 2019. 酚类 (-)-表没食子儿茶素-3-没食子酸酯和阿魏酸的联合治疗可改善小鼠的认知能力并减少阿尔茨海默病样病变。 生物化学学报. 294（8）。 http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/jbc.RA118.004280
