• Researchers discover intake of FDA-appro

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Wed Mar 23 22:30:44 2022
    Researchers discover intake of FDA-approved drug modulates disease
    progression in Alzheimer's disease model

    Date:
    March 23, 2022
    Source:
    Indiana University School of Medicine
    Summary:
    Researchers found that niacin limits Alzheimer's disease progression
    when used in models in the lab, a discovery that could potentially
    pave the way toward therapeutic approaches to the disease.



    FULL STORY ========================================================================== Indiana University School of Medicine researchers found that niacin
    limits Alzheimer's disease progression when used in models in the lab,
    a discovery that could potentially pave the way toward therapeutic
    approaches to the disease.


    ==========================================================================
    The study, recently published in Science Translational Medicine,
    investigates how niacin modulates microglia response to amyloid plaques
    in an Alzheimer's disease animal model.

    Gary Landreth, PhD, Martin Professor of Alzheimer's Research, and
    Miguel Moutinho, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, led the study.

    "This study identifies a potential novel therapeutic target for
    Alzheimer's disease, which can be modulated by FDA-approved drugs,"
    Moutinho said. "The translational potential of this strategy to clinical
    use is high." Niacin, which sustains metabolism throughout the body,
    is mainly obtained through a typical diet; it also can be taken in
    supplements and cholesterol- lowering drugs. The brain, however, Moutinho found, uses niacin in a different manner.

    In the brain, niacin interacts with a highly-selective receptor, HCAR2,
    present in immune cells physically associated with amyloid plaques. When
    niacin -- used in this project as the FDA-approved Niaspan drug --
    activates the receptor, it stimulates beneficial actions from these
    immune cells, Landreth said.

    "After the Alzheimer's disease animal models received niacin, they
    ended up with fewer plaques and they have improved cognition," Landreth
    said, "and we directly showed that these actions were due to the HCAR2 receptor." Past epidemiology studies of niacin and Alzheimer's disease
    showed that people who had higher levels of niacin in their diet had
    diminished risk of the disease, Landreth said. Niacin is also currently
    being used in clinical trials in Parkinson's disease and glioblastoma.

    To further their research into niacin and the brain, Landreth and
    Moutinho are collaborating with Jared Brosch, MD, associate professor
    of clinical neurology, who is applying for a clinical pilot trial to
    study the affects of niacin and the human brain.


    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
    Indiana_University_School_of_Medicine. Note: Content may be edited for
    style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Miguel Moutinho, Shweta S. Puntambekar, Andy P. Tsai, Israel
    Coronel,
    Peter B. Lin, Brad T. Casali, Pablo Martinez, Adrian L. Oblak,
    Cristian A. Lasagna-Reeves, Bruce T. Lamb, Gary E. Landreth. The
    niacin receptor HCAR2 modulates microglial response and
    limits disease progression in a mouse model of Alzheimer's
    disease. Science Translational Medicine, 2022; 14 (637) DOI:
    10.1126/scitranslmed.abl7634 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220323151716.htm

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