Essential
- Two anticancer drugs, the letrozole and the irinotecan, could slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s by acting on different types of brain cells.
- Tested in mice, they have improved memory and reduces brain lesions.
- In humans, analyzes also suggest a drop in Alzheimer’s risk in patients treated for cancer.
What if an effective treatment against Alzheimer’s coming from drugs that we already knew? A new study from the University of California in San Francisco, published in the journal Cellrevives hope in the face of neurodegenerative disease. By combining two anticancer treatments already available in pharmacies, researchers have observed a clear improvement in memory in mice with cognitive disorders similar to those of the disease.
A memory found thanks to anticrance drugs
While “The development of treatments against Alzheimer’s face is faced with a failure rate of 98 %”the letrozole, used against breast cancer, and irinotecan, prescribed for colorectal cancer, showed surprising efficiency when administered together. In genetically modified mice to develop symptoms similar to Alzheimer, the combination of the two treatments has enabled a significant improvement in memory, as well as a reduction in brain damage.
Unlike classic strategies centered on amyloid plates, this study was interested in genetic disturbances specific to each type of brain cell. Scientists have analyzed genetic data from 75 human brains, or not from Alzheimer’s, and have identified distinct alterations in glial neurons and cells. By crossing this data with the genetic effects of more than 1,300 approved drugs, they have selected 25 potential candidates, including letrozole and irinotecan.
Towards a new therapeutic track?
Treated mice have shown clear progress during memoir tests such as Morris’ aquatic labyrinth. They also presented a reduction in amyloid plates and inflammation, as well as better preservation of hippocampal neurons. In addition, analyzes of medical records of 1.4 million patients revealed that those treated with these drugs for cancer had a significantly reduced risk of developing a Alzheimer’s: “A decrease of 53 % for the letrozole and 80 % for the irinotecan”can we read in a press release.
The two molecules have the advantage of crossing the blood-brain barrier, essential to act in the brain. In restaurants the disturbed genetic functions of neurons and glial cells, they could offer a more global solution than current treatments, often criticized for their low efficiency and side effects. Although clinical trials are still necessary, this multi-cellular approach could change the situation for millions of patients.
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