WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Scientists are constantly seeking new treatments for Alzheimer's disease. Most recently, researchers from Mass General Brigham and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis identified another innovative approach to treat the condition.
'It is a very novel discovery showing that simply inhaling an inert gas can have such a profound neuroprotective effect,' explained senior and co-corresponding author Oleg Butovsky, from the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
'One of the main limitations in the field of Alzheimer's disease research and treatment is that it is extremely difficult to design medications that can pass the blood-brain barrier-but Xenon gas does. We look forward to seeing this novel approach tested in humans.'
During the study, the mice with Alzheimer's inhaled Xenon gas, which is usually used as an anesthetic and neuroprotectant for treating brain injuries. The findings showed that the treatment reduced brain inflammation, minimized brain cell loss and promoted better cognitive function.
The positive results were attributed to the gas's ability to enhance the protective response of from the mice's microglia, the primary and most prominent immune cells within the brain. Xenon gas passes directly into the fluid surrounding the brain, boosting these protective mechanisms.
'It is exciting that in both animal models that model different aspects of Alzheimer's disease, amyloid pathology in one model and tau pathology in another model, that Xenon had protective effects in both situations,' said senior and co-corresponding author David Holtzman, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Published in Science Translational Medicine, the study data aims to pave a way for a phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers, scheduled to begin in early 2025.
'If the clinical trial goes well, the opportunities for the use of xenon gas are great,' said Dr. Howard Weiner, study co-author and principal investigator of the upcoming trial. 'It could open the door to new treatments for helping patients with neurologic diseases.'
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