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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