WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A drug initially developed for cancer treatment might also benefit patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease, according to a study by researchers at Penn State, Stanford University and an international team of collaborators.
Researchers believe that disruption in glucose metabolism is one of the key reasons contributing to impaired brain function Alzheimer's patients, as it hinders cognitive abilities and memory.
'The brain is very dependent on glucose to fuel many processes, so losing the ability to effectively use glucose for metabolism and energy production can trigger metabolic decline and, in particular, cognitive decline,' first author Paras Minhas explained.
Focusing on kynurenine pathway, a critical regulator of brain metabolism, that is over-activated in Alzheimer's patients, the scientists explored the potential of enzyme indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 or IDO1 inhibitors, currently being developed as a treatment for many types of cancer.
The study, published in the journal Science, revealed that the inhibitors could be repurposed to treat the early stages of neurodegenerative disorders as they regulate the production of kynurenine.
'We were surprised that these metabolic improvements were so effective at not just preserving healthy synapses, but in actually rescuing behavior. The mice performed better in cognitive and memory tests when we gave them drugs that block the kynurenine pathway,' said senior author, Katrin Andreasson, a neurologist at the Stanford School of Medicine and member of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute.
In the research, the scientists used in vitro cellular models with amyloid and tau proteins, in vivo mouse models, and in vitro human cells from Alzheimer's patients. They observed that suppressing IDO1 caused an increase in metabolic support for neurons and restored their functionality.
'We're hopeful that IDO1 inhibitors developed for cancer could be repurposed for treatment of AD,' Andreasson emphasized.
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