Alzheimer's disease: study on substances to slow disease

The results obtained in pre-clinical researchers from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy) open hopes in the treatment of disease: hydrogen sulfide and the melanocortin would be able to slow the progression of the Alzheimer's disease.

From the results of research done by the Modena group, coordinated by Salvatore Guarini, Professor of Pharmacology at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Metabolic and Neuroscience, hydrogen sulphide and melanocortins are able to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, and without effective treatment, one of the major causes of disability and mortality. Alzheimer's disease is usually diagnosed after the age of 65, while the form of Alzheimer's disease less prevalent, that family or genetic disease, can occur much earlier.

The interest of the international scientific community for the originality of the results and the methodological rigor of the studies Modena are witnessed by the relief that gave them the international publications: Neurobiology of Learning and Memory and Neurobiology of Aging, some of the most prestigious magazines. The studies were carried out in three preclinical experimental models, including a triple-transgenic with characteristics very similar to those of Alzheimer's human.

The treatment, short and long term, a guinea pig animal with sodium monohydrogensulphide  and thermal waters rich in hydrogen sulphide (thermal waters of Tabiano) significantly protected against cognitive decline.

"Hydrogen sulfide is an important signaling molecule produced by the body and present in various body compartments including the brain, probably with a protective physiological role," explained Daniela Giuliani, who participated in the studies. "An alteration of the endogenous levels of hydrogen sulfide - he continued - is correlated with various diseases of central and peripheral, and some recent studies have documented that plasma and brain levels of this molecule are quite low in patients with Alzheimer's disease. This prompted us to investigate, in a project funded by the Foundation for Scientific Thermal Research , on a possible therapeutic action of hydrogen sulphide exogenous in this chronic neurodegenerative disease. "

"Even the melanocortins are endogenous substances ( which belong to the family ACTH / MSH), and the general idea is that the melanocortins have oversight functions and functional regulation of various organs and systems ," said Guarini . " In sporadic studies , carried out many years ago by different groups, were observed low levels of ACTH / MSH in the CSF and some areas of the brain of patients with dementia - he continued - probably correlated with the disease. In our study in the mouse triple - transgenic we have clearly shown that melanocortin induce beneficial effects in Alzheimer's disease . Moreover, our previous and current studies on melanocortin suggest that these endogenous substances may have an important protective role against several neurodegenerative disorders both acute and chronic , where many pathophysiological mechanisms leading to neuronal death or repairing the damage are common . "