We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Curcumin Used to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 26 Jan 2015
Print article
Curcumin, a natural substance found in the spice turmeric, has been used by many Asian cultures for centuries. Now, new research suggests that a close chemical analog of curcumin has properties that may make it useful as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

“Curcumin has demonstrated ability to enter the brain, bind and destroy the beta-amyloid plaques present in Alzheimer’s with reduced toxicity,” said Wellington Pham, PhD, assistant professor of radiology and radiological sciences and biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, TN, USA), and senior author of the study, published January 2015 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Accumulation and aggregation of protein fragments, known as beta-amyloid, has been show to drive the irreversible loss of neurons in Alzheimer’s disease. Developing small molecules to reduce this accumulation or promote its demolition is crucial, but the ability of these small molecules to cross the blood-brain barrier has been an inhibiting factor for drug delivery into the brain.

Dr. Pham and colleagues at Shiga University of Medical Science (Otsu, Japan), developed a new approach to deliver a molecule similar to curcumin more effectively to the brain. “One of the difficulties in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease is how to deliver drugs across the blood brain barrier,” he said. “Our body has designed this barrier to protect the brain from any toxic molecules that can cross into the brain and harm neurons. “But it is also a natural barrier for molecules designed for disease-modifying therapy,” Dr. Pham said.

To work around the problems of giving the drug intravenously, the researchers decided to develop an atomizer to generate a curcumin aerosol. The Japanese researchers developed a molecule similar to curcumin, FMeC1, which was the one actually used in this study.

“The advantage of the FMeC1 is that it is a perfluoro compound, which can be tracked by the biodistribution in the brain noninvasively using magnetic resonance imaging. Curcumin is a very simple chemical structure, so it is not expensive to generate the analog,” Dr. Pham stated. “In this way the drug can be breathed in and delivered to the brain,” he said, noting that nebulizers are out in the market already, and are relatively inexpensive. “In this paper, we also showed that delivery to the cortex and hippocampal areas is more efficient using aerosolized curcumin than intravenous injection in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Pham said.

Related Links:

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Shiga University of Medical Science


New
Gold Member
ANA & ENA Screening Assays
ANA and ENA Assays
Unit-Dose Packaging solution
HLX
New
ELISA System
ABSOL HS DUO
New
Monkeypox Test
Monkeypox Virus Rapid Antibody Test

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: The new saliva-based test for heart failure measures two biomarkers in about 15 minutes (Photo courtesy of Trey Pittman)

POC Saliva Testing Device Predicts Heart Failure in 15 Minutes

Heart failure is a serious condition where the heart muscle is unable to pump sufficient oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. It ranks as a major cause of death globally and is particularly fatal for... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The bowel cancer breakthrough could result in better treatment outcomes (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

New RNA Molecules Can Help Predict Bowel Cancer Return Recurrence

Colorectal cancer accounts for 10% of all cancer-related deaths worldwide and was ranked as the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States in 2022. Currently, clinicians face diagnostic... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: QScout CBC will give a complete blood count in 2 minutes from fingerstick or venous blood (Photo courtesy of Ad Astra Diagnostics)

Next Gen CBC and Sepsis Diagnostic System Targets Faster, Earlier, Easier Results

Every hour is critical in protecting patients from infections, yet there are currently limited tools to assist in early diagnosis before patients reach a hospital. The complete blood count (CBC) is a common... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The InfectoSynovia test has the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

High-Accuracy Bedside Test to Diagnose Periprosthetic Joint Infection in Five Minutes

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) represents a significant global issue that is worsening as the number of joint replacements increases due to aging populations. In the United States alone, the anticipated... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image

AI-Based Method Shows Promise for Pathological Diagnosis of Hereditary Kidney Diseases

Alport syndrome is a hereditary kidney disorder characterized by kidney dysfunction, sensorineural hearing loss, and ocular abnormalities. Early in the disease, patients experience hematuria, which is... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.