A red colored dye obtained from Lichens may help to reduce the abundance of small toxic protein aggregates in Alzheimer's disease, reveals study.
The dye, a compound called orcein, and a related substance, called O4, bind preferentially to small amyloid aggregates that are considered to be toxic and cause neuronal dysfunction and memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimer''s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting memory and thinking and making the person increasingly dependent on others.
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O4 binding to small aggregates promotes their conversion into large, mature plaques which researchers assume to be largely non-toxic for neuronal cells.
Protein misfolding is considered to be the cause of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and also Huntington's disease. In a multistep process, proteins misfold and accumulate into large extra- or intracellular plaques.
![Quiz On Alzheimer’s Disease]( "Quiz On Alzheimer’s Disease")
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Participate in this quiz to find out how much you know about this debilitating disease.
Erich Wanker and his team of researchers from Berlin assume that small misfolded protein aggregates that are precursors of mature plaques are toxic for nerve cells and are the reason why they are eventually destroyed.
The synthetic dye methylene blue is currently being tested in clinical trials. This dye also seems to stimulate the formation of large plaques in a way similar to O4. Other therapeutic approaches tested in clinical trials which aim at eliminating small precursor aggregates have so far not led to a significant improvement of disease symptoms.
However, it still remains to be seen whether the blue dye O4 can also be effective against small amounts of misfolded proteins in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and whether the accelerated formation of larger plaques can indeed reduce the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in humans.
"We hope that our findings will stimulate research activities in this direction, especially in drug discovery," Wanker said.
Source: ANI
Quiz On Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Participate in this quiz to find out how much you know about this debilitating disease.
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Erich Wanker and his team of researchers from Berlin assume that small misfolded protein aggregates that are precursors of mature plaques are toxic for nerve cells and are the reason why they are eventually destroyed.
The synthetic dye methylene blue is currently being tested in clinical trials. This dye also seems to stimulate the formation of large plaques in a way similar to O4. Other therapeutic approaches tested in clinical trials which aim at eliminating small precursor aggregates have so far not led to a significant improvement of disease symptoms.
However, it still remains to be seen whether the blue dye O4 can also be effective against small amounts of misfolded proteins in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and whether the accelerated formation of larger plaques can indeed reduce the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in humans.
"We hope that our findings will stimulate research activities in this direction, especially in drug discovery," Wanker said.
Source: ANI
Caring for Alzheimers disease patients
Alzheimer's disease is a complex brain disorder that triggers the most common form of dementia. The slide show will show how patients need support and care as dementia progresses.
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 Early Sign of Alzheimer's Disease ReversedRemoving a plaque-forming protein helps restore the loss of smell, which is one of the earliest impairments caused by Alzheimer's disease. | Advertisement
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