Asthma Drugs for Alzheimer's
Written By: Tawan Petpaiboon
July 7, 2020
In the U.S., it has been measured that about 5.5 million people have Alzheimer’s disease. People above the age of 65 account for the majority of Alzheimer’s cases. While there are some medications that may help enhance the symptoms, they are not the direct cure to the origin of Alzheimer’s.
The root of Alzheimer’s originates from plaques that accumulate between neurons. These plaques, called Beta-amyloid, can be toxic to the brain as it exacerbates the communication between cells. Another protein, called neurofibrillary tangles, also causes toxicity to the brain and hinders the communication system. Because today’s drugs are only limited to the destruction of these proteins, scientists have shifted to tau. In the molecular level, tau proteins make the system of microtubules, which manages the transportation in cells. However, these proteins can aggregate and block transportation throughout the nervous system.
Scientists have found certain substances that can prevent the formation of tangles. Epinephrine is found to be applicable to this characteristic. However, epinephrine gets metabolized rather quickly. Instead, a structure similar to epinephrine in the chemical found in Salbutamol, a drug for treating asthma, is instead looked upon as the prevention. Salbutamol can prevent the system of tau proteins from getting tangled. Another asthma drug, Zileuton, was also tested in mice. Tau proteins from humans were inserted into the mice’s nervous system. One group of mice was treated with Zileuton for 4 months while the other wasn’t. The result shows that the mice treated with drugs can behave normally. In contrast, mice not treated with Zileuton had symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
Scientists observed that Zileuton works by managing leukotrienes, which are a group of substances that can damage the respiratory system. Using this method, the drug can be used to cure asthma, as well as Alzheimer’s disease. However, some scientists still refer to the effects of leukotrienes and its characteristics. They are worried about the long-term usage of the drug because leukotrienes can cause impairments to the nerve cells over a long time. The scientists decided to experiment with the reverse process of impairment, and it worked. Dr. Domenico Praticò, the investigator of this experiment, stated, “This is an old drug for a new disease…”
Although this new discovery can lighten up many people’s minds, it still needs further research. One scientist has said that the brains of mice and humans are not exactly the same. Further research is still needed. The good news is that the prescription of these asthma drugs would at least be simple because it has already been used by asthma patients.
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