A nasal spray combining rifampicin, an antibiotic, and resveratrol, an antioxidant, could help treat Alzheimer’s disease. Good news for patients with this pathology and their loved ones.
- Alzheimer’s disease affects 1.2 million people in France. It concerns 23% of the population after 80 years. After age 65, it affects about twice as many women as men.
- Age, genetic factors and lifestyle can favor the occurrence of this neurodegenerative pathology.
50 million people. This is the number of people with dementia in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The most common form of this syndrome is Alzheimer’s disease. The management of this neurodegenerative pathology is based on a multidisciplinary follow-up to preserve a certain level of autonomy and well-being of the patient and medication to reduce the symptoms of the condition.
A new treatment could nourish the hopes of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and those around them. It is a nasal spray. The latter was tested by researchers at the University of Osaka, Japan. In a study published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience December 13scientists have revealed that this treatment can help fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
Combine an antibiotic and an antioxidant
For the purposes of their work, the researchers genetically modified mice so that they could develop the neurodegenerative condition. “Dementia is thought to occur when proteins called amyloid-β, tau and α-synuclein build up in the brain and form oligomers (a substance made up of molecules),” can we read in a statement of the University. In previous research, scientists had already shown that an antibiotic called “rifampicin” eliminated oligomers and improved cognitive function in rodents. Problem: The drug was causing side effects, such as liver damage.
“To overcome the side effects of rifampicin, we thought of combining it with the hepatoprotective effects of resveratrol”, an antioxidant found naturally in grapes, said Professor Takami Tomiyama, lead author of the study. In their new study, the researchers gave the mice a dose of rifampin and resveratrol through the nose, five days a week for four weeks.
Improved cognitive function
The study showed that the nasal spray combining rifampicin and resveratrol improved the cognitive function of mice and inhibited the accumulation of oligomers. “The results indicate that nasal administration of a combination of rifampicin and resveratrol has advantages over rifampin monotherapy in terms of safety and efficacy. Our results provide a way to prevent neurodegenerative dementia by targeting oligomers”, concluded the scientists.
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