Researchers have found elements in menstrual blood that may help treat Alzheimer’s disease.
- Researchers have found that stem cells from menstrual blood have positive effects on APP/PS1 transgenic mice, which show characteristics similar to Alzheimer’s disease in humans.
- Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative pathology that leads to a progressive deterioration of cognitive functions.
- About 1 million people are affected by Alzheimer’s disease in France.
According a new study published in a scientific journal, researchers have found that mesenchymal stem cells derived from menstrual blood may have a beneficial effect on Alzheimer’s disease.
Menstrual Blood Stem Cells
Specifically, the researchers found that menstrual blood stem cells had positive effects on APP/PS1 transgenic mice, which show characteristics similar to Alzheimer’s disease in humans.
The study was conducted by injecting stem cells from menstrual blood directly into the brains of mice. These cells first helped to improve the mice’s learning and spatial memory abilities. The results also showed that stem cells had the ability to modulate the activity of amyloid-degrading enzymes and pro-inflammatory cytokines, two factors closely linked to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, the stem cells also reduced amyloid plaque formation and excessive tau phosphorylation, two hallmark markers of the disease.
The benefits of stem cells contained in menstrual blood
It should be emphasized that mesenchymal stem cells derived from menstrual blood have several advantages over other sources of stem cells. They have a high proliferation rate, which means they multiply quickly, and they are easy to obtain without posing major ethical issues. This ease of access and the absence of ethical controversies make it a promising source for research on Alzheimer’s disease.
However, it should be noted that this study was performed on mice and further research is needed to determine if the results can be replicated in humans.
Alzheimer’s disease in numbers
Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative pathology that leads to a progressive deterioration of cognitive functions, is a major health problem in our society.
“Alzheimer in figures, it is about 1 million people affected in France. It is therefore about 8% of French people over 65 who would be affected in 2020. In addition, it is estimated that 225,000 new cases are diagnosed every year in France. In addition, more than 46 million people would be affected by a neuro-evolving disease (Alzheimer’s and related diseases) in the world in 2015”, says the Vanquishing Alzheimer’s Foundation.
