December 22, 2016.
French researchers have just shed light on the role of an anti-inflammatory molecule in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Interleukin-2 to restore neural connections
Immunotherapy as a response to Alzheimer’s disease? The experiment has just been carried out by researchers from the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) who have managed to show the effectiveness of a molecule, interleukin-2 (IL-2) on the restoration of cognitive abilities in mice.
In Alzheimer’s disease, dementia is caused by inflammation of neurons, associated with the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain. The administration of this protein to the mice which were used for this experiment, allowed the reduction of these plaques and, after a few weeks, the return of certain neuronal connections.
900,000 people with Alzheimer’s disease in France
” This work demonstrates the value of immunotherapies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, and in particular the value of interleukin-2. This treatment addresses the consequences of the disease, the loss of synapses and the cognitive symptoms that accompany it. “, Explain their researchers in the conclusions of their study published in the journal Brain.
The research of these researchers must now be the subject of further investigation, to determine what could be the effect of interleukin-2 (IL-2) on humans. Alzheimer’s disease affects 900,000 people in France. There are 47.5 million people living with dementia worldwide, according to figures from the World Health Organization (WHO). 7.7 million new cases are diagnosed each year.
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