Can Alzheimer's disease be delayed by a chemical found in PINE CONES?

  • Compound found to prevent formation of plaques that stop brain cells from working effectively in Alzheimer's patients

By Claire Bates

Published: 04:29 EST, 2 August 2012 | Updated: 05:21 EST, 2 August 2012

A once-a-day tablet that harnesses a chemical found in pine cones shows great promise in both preventing and slowing the progress of Alzheimer's disease.

The drug, known as NIC5-15, has been shown in animal studies to be effective in preventing the formation of amyloid plaques. These are believed to coat the brain cells stopping them from working effectively.

A chemical compound found in pine cones could slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease in the brain

A chemical compound found in pine cones could slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease in the brain

The degenerative disease is the most common form of dementia and affects more than 300,000 people in the UK. 

Early symptoms include minor memory problems and forgetting the right words. Later symptoms include severe confusion and dramatic changes of personality. A sufferer can also experience delusions.

It is estimated that it affects on in 14 people over the age of 65. It can be inherited in some cases.

The company Humanetics Corporation, which developed the drug alongside researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, have already completed a number of early clinical trials on healthy volunteers, which have shown it to be safe.

POPCORN FAKE FLAVOUR LINKED TO ALZHEIMER'S

An artificial ingredient that gives popcorn a buttery flavour has been linked to a key Alzheimer’s brain process.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota tested the effect of the ingredient diacetyl (DA) in a lab at exposure levels common in food factories.

They found DA increased the level of amyloid clumping - a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.

It also easily penetrated the 'blood-brain- barrier', which keeps many harmful substances from entering the brain.

The team, led by Robert Vince,  said considering how exposed industry workers were to DA 'this study raises the troubling possibility of long-term neurological toxicity.'

They are now recruiting a few hundred sufferers in New York for the next stage that will test the optimum dose at which the drug will work with the minimum side-effects.

NIC5-15 is a natural chemical compound found in fruits such as grape seeds as well as pine cones.

Current Alzheimer's treatments treat the symptoms of the disease, such as memory loss and mood swings, but do not stop it from progressing.

Ronald Zenk, President and CEO of Humanetics, said: 'There is an urgent need for safe and effective disease modifying agents to lessen the debilitating symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. We are hopeful that NIC5-15 will satisfy that need.'

It is estimated that it affects on in 14 people over the age of 65. It can be inherited in some cases.

Author Terry Pratchett is a high profile person with the disease.

The condition is caused by parts of the brain wasting away, particularly in the cerebral cortex.

As the grey matter wastes away, clumps of protein, known as ‘plaques’ and ‘tangles’, start to form in the brain. The plaques and tangles start to destroy even more brain cells.

The disease can shorten life-expectancy as sufferers can lose interest in eating and maintaining personal hygiene, leading to other illnesses.

Dr Simon Ridley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
'With over half a million people in the UK living with Alzheimer’s, there is a desperate need for effective treatments. Whereas current drugs only act to relieve symptoms, this drug aims to slow or stop the underlying disease. This would be a huge step forward, but we will only know whether the drug has real benefits for Alzheimer’s after it has been rigorously tested in clinical trials.'