Arthritis helped to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease
Alexey Timoshenko, GZT.RU
Doctors have long known that patients with arthritis are less likely than healthy people to become victims of Alzheimer's disease. Scientists did not have a full explanation of this fact, but since arthritis is an autoimmune disease (the immune system destroys the body's own tissues), it was assumed that overly active work of protective systems allows to prevent pathological changes in nerve cells.
Experiments conducted by specialists of the University of South Florida with the GM-CSF protein, which is released in large quantities in arthritis, partially confirmed this hypothesis. Mice that were injected with a protein solution for 20 days and who had developed Alzheimer's disease before then showed better results in tests for cognitive abilities than rodents who received only saline.
• GM-CSF is an abbreviation for "granulocyte–macrophage colony stimulating factor". The name reflects the fact that the protein promotes the growth of cell colonies, from which macrophages and granulocytes are obtained, which are part of blood cells. It is synthesized in the body not only in arthritis.
• "Cognitive" – related to intelligence. In relation to mice, we are talking about the ability to navigate in mazes and remember simple facts like that the floor in this section of the cell can be energized.
The researchers, whose work is presented in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, separately emphasized that the GM-CSF protein, which also helps hematopoiesis, is already being produced in the form of a ready-made drug that has passed all clinical trials. This can significantly shorten the path from the first animal tests to mass use in clinical settings.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru24.08.2010