scholarly journals Ginger, a Possible Candidate for the Treatment of Dementias?

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (18) ◽  
pp. 5700
Author(s):  
Giovanni Schepici ◽  
Valentina Contestabile ◽  
Andrea Valeri ◽  
Emanuela Mazzon

As the human life expectancy increases, age-linked diseases have become more and more frequent. The worldwide increment of dementia cases demands medical solutions, but the current available drugs do not meet all the expectations. Recently the attention of the scientific community was attracted by natural compounds, used in ancient medicine, known for their beneficial effects and high tolerability. This review is focused on Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and explore its properties against Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular Dementia, two of the most common and devastating forms of dementia. This work resumes the beneficial effects of Ginger compounds, tested in computational in vitro and in vivo models of Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular Dementia, along with some human tests. All these evidences suggest a potential role of the compounds of ginger not only in the treatment of the disease, but also in its prevention.

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miho Yoshida Yamakawa ◽  
Kazuyuki Uchino ◽  
Yasuhiro Watanabe ◽  
Tadashi Adachi ◽  
Mami Nakanishi ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 1397-1416
Author(s):  
Kristof Van Kolen ◽  
Thomas J. Malia ◽  
Clara Theunis ◽  
Rupesh Nanjunda ◽  
Alexey Teplyakov ◽  
...  

Background: As a consequence of the discovery of an extracellular component responsible for the progression of tau pathology, tau immunotherapy is being extensively explored in both preclinical and clinical studies as a disease modifying strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Objective: Describe the characteristics of the anti-phospho (T212/T217) tau selective antibody PT3 and its humanized variant hPT3. Methods: By performing different immunization campaigns, a large collection of antibodies has been generated and prioritized. In depth, in vitro characterization using surface plasmon resonance, phospho-epitope mapping, and X-ray crystallography experiments were performed. Further characterization involved immunohistochemical staining on mouse- and human postmortem tissue and neutralization of tau seeding by immunodepletion assays. Results and Conclusion: Various in vitro experiments demonstrated a high intrinsic affinity for PT3 and hPT3 for AD brain-derived paired helical filaments but also to non-aggregated phospho (T212/T217) tau. Further functional analyses in cellular and in vivo models of tau seeding demonstrated almost complete depletion of tau seeds in an AD brain homogenate. Ongoing trials will provide the clinical evaluation of the tau spreading hypothesis in Alzheimer’s disease.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 352-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahad Ali ◽  
Yasir Hasan Siddique

Luteolin is a naturally occurring, yellow crystalline flavonoid found in numerous dietary supplements we frequently have in our meals. Studies in the last 2 decades have revealed its therapeutic potential to reduce the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) symptoms in various in vitro and in vivo models. The anti-Alzheimer’s potential of luteolin is attributed to its ability to suppress Aβ as well as tau aggregation or promote their disaggregation, down-regulate the expression of COX-2, NOS, MMP-9, TNF-α, interleukins and chemokines, reduce oxidative stress by scavenging ROS, modulate the activities of transcription factors CREB, cJun, Nrf-1, NF-κB, p38, p53, AP-1 and β-catenine and inhibiting the activities of various protein kinases. In several systems, luteolin has been described as a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. In addition, we have also discussed about the bio-availability of the luteolin in the plasma. After being metabolized luteolin persists in plasma as glucuronides and sulphate-conjugates. Human clinical trials indicated no dose limiting toxicity when administered at a dose of 100 mg/day. Improvements in the formulations and drug delivery systems may further enhance the bioavailability and potency of luteolin. The current review describes in detail the data supporting these studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6664
Author(s):  
Panchanan Maiti ◽  
Jayeeta Manna ◽  
Zoe N. Burch ◽  
Denise B. Flaherty ◽  
Joseph D. Larkin ◽  
...  

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by amyloid (Aβ) aggregation, hyperphosphorylated tau, neuroinflammation, and severe memory deficits. Reports that certain boronic compounds can reduce amyloid accumulation and neuroinflammation prompted us to compare trans-2-phenyl-vinyl-boronic-acid-MIDA-ester (TPVA) and trans-beta-styryl-boronic-acid (TBSA) as treatments of deficits in in vitro and in vivo models of AD. We hypothesized that these compounds would reduce neuropathological deficits in cell-culture and animal models of AD. Using a dot-blot assay and cultured N2a cells, we observed that TBSA inhibited Aβ42 aggregation and increased cell survival more effectively than did TPVA. These TBSA-induced benefits were extended to C. elegans expressing Aβ42 and to the 5xFAD mouse model of AD. Oral administration of 0.5 mg/kg dose of TBSA or an equivalent amount of methylcellulose vehicle to groups of six- and 12-month-old 5xFAD or wild-type mice over a two-month period prevented recognition- and spatial-memory deficits in the novel-object recognition and Morris-water-maze memory tasks, respectively, and reduced the number of pyknotic and degenerated cells, Aβ plaques, and GFAP and Iba-1 immunoreactivity in the hippocampus and cortex of these mice. These findings indicate that TBSA exerts neuroprotective properties by decreasing amyloid plaque burden and neuroinflammation, thereby preventing neuronal death and preserving memory function in the 5xFAD mice.


Author(s):  
Syed Bihaqi ◽  
Suhaib Rashaan ◽  
Manisha Tiwari

The herbal medicinal plant, Convolvulus pluricaulis: a rasayana drug has been primarily advocated for use in mental stimulation and rejuvenation therapy. In ancient systems of Indian medicine, Ayurveda, the plant is also known by the name Shankhpushpi and has been shown to act as a prominent memory improving drug, a psychostimulant and tranquiliser. The plant displays its biological activity due to the presence of several alkaloids, flavanoids and coumarins as active chemicals. Previous reports by us and others have demonstrated beneficial effect of extracts of this plant in an in-vitro and in-vivo models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Justification of its potential for an ancient brain tonic has been provided recently by clinical studies on polyherbal formulation of this plant. This review attempts to compile information on Convolvulus Pluricaulis in order to establish this herbal drug as a potent natural therapeutic agent to combat AD related symptoms.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Tanisha Vithal

<p>Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is responsible for 50-80% of dementia cases and is characterised by lack of visuospatial perception, impairment of language and memory. One of the main physiological attributions towards this disease is the accumulation of large insoluble deposits of amyloid beta, a toxic peptide, which results in the generation of amyloid plaques found in between neurons in the brain. Currently no therapeutic treatments are available. Clusterin (CLU) is an apolipoprotein that when defective is the second highest genetic risk factor for AD. It has been strongly debated whether CLU counteracts or promotes AD pathology. With the roles of CLU including but not limited to acting as a chaperone for cholesterol transport and aiding autophagy functionality in cancer models, this thesis investigates these two specific functionalities by overexpressing CLU in an in vitro SH-SY5Y and in an in vivo AD model of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly). Conclusions from this study reveal that within D. melanogaster, CLU reduced Aβ42 levels and increased cholesterol effect through the blood brain barrier. Additionally, in human cells, CLU ameliorated the defective flux in autophagy. This thesis sheds light into how CLU plays a protective role within an Alzheimer’s disease mammalian system.</p>


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