Conventional medications will help in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
Scientists from several Chilean research centers, working under the guidance of Professor Maccioni (R.B. Maccioni) and Dr. Leonel Rojo, found that astemizole and lanzoprazole, drugs traditionally used to treat allergies and gastrointestinal diseases, are able to selectively bind to pathological forms of tau protein, which are present in the brains of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Normally, tau protein is necessary for the formation of microtubules in neurons that form an intracellular framework, and thereby ensures the functioning of interneuronal connections. Abnormal forms of tau protein combine with each other, forming paired spirally twisted fibers that get tangled into tangles and randomly tangled threads. As a result, neurons lose the ability to interact with each other, which is expressed in a violation of cognitive ability.
Neurofibrillary formations are the main histological sign of Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately, this diagnostic method can only be used posthumously – by taking a sample of brain tissue for microscopic analysis.
In Rojo, Leonel et al. Selective Interaction of Lansoprazole and Astemizole with Tau Polymers: Potential New Clinical Use in Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease, published in the January issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, scientists have demonstrated using various biophysical and bioinformatic techniques that astemizole and lanzoprazole are able to bind to tau protein aggregates. At the same time, the binding of these drugs to tau protein turned out to be stronger than their binding to beta-amyloid polymers forming amyloid plaques. Despite the fact that amyloid plaques are found in excess in the brains of elderly people suffering from senile dementia (according to postmortem analysis of brain tissue), their presence is not the only sign of Alzheimer's disease.
Scientists note that the ratio of concentrations of these drugs in the brain and blood of the subjects proved to be suitable for their use as radioactive tags that can be used for diagnostic tomography.
The study can be called revolutionary in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, since the creation of radioactive labels based on astemizole and lanzoprazole will allow detecting the disease at an early stage and taking appropriate measures to stop the progression of this humiliating and traumatic human personality disease.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru Based on ScienceDaily: Promising new neuroimaging techniques for early detection of Alzheimer's disease
02.02.2010