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Scientists from UCLA and UC Riverside and the Human BioMolecular Research Institute have found that Vitamin D3 together with Curcumin, a substance found in Turmeric Spice, stimulates the immune system to clear the brain of Amyloid Beta, which is found in the plaques of Alzheimer’s Disease.
In the study, blood samples from Alzheimer’s patients and control subjects were collected. The monocyte cells, which become macrophages of the immune system, were isolated. The cells were incubated with Amyloid Beta, Vitamin D3, and Curcumin (both natural and synthetic Curcumin). The synthetic Curcumin was more readily absorbed and not as easily destroyed as natural Curcumin, and is thus more potent.
The study found that Curcumin enhanced the binding of Amyloid Beta to Macrophages. Vitamin D3 strongly stimulated the uptake and absorption of Amyloid Beta in Macrophages. Some Alzheimer’s patients macrophages respond to Curcumin, some do not. Vitamin D3 and Curcumin may each be used alone or in combination depending on the individual patient.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19433889?
1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 Interacts with Curcuminoids to Stimulate Amyloid-beta Clearance by Macrophages of Alzheimer’s Disease Patients. J Alzheimers Dis. 2009 May 11. Masoumi A, Goldenson B, Ghirmai S, Avagyan H, Zaghi J, Abel K, Zheng X, Espinosa-Jeffrey A, Mahanian M, Liu PT, Hewison M, Mizwicki M, Cashman J, Fiala M.
Patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) suffer from brain amyloidosis related to defective clearance of amyloid-beta (Abeta) by the innate immune system. To improve the innate immune system of AD patients, we studied immune stimulation of macrophages by 1alpha,25(OH)-vitamin D3 (1,25D3) in combination with curcuminoids.
AD patients’ macrophages segregate into Type I (positively stimulated by curcuminoids regarding MGAT-III transcription) and Type II (not stimulated). In both Type I and Type II macrophages, 1,25D3 strongly stimulated Abeta phagocytosis and clearance while protecting against apoptosis.
Certain synthetic curcuminoids in combination with 1,25D3 had additive effects on phagocytosis in Type I but not Type II macrophages.
In addition, we investigated the mechanisms of 1,25D3 and curcuminoids in macrophages. The 1,25D3 genomic antagonist analog MK inhibited 1,25D3 but not curcuminoid effects, suggesting that 1,25D3 acts through the genomic pathway.
In silico, 1,25D3 showed preferential binding to the genomic pocket of the vitamin D receptor, whereas bisdemethoxycurcumin showed preference for the non-genomic pocket.
1,25D3 is a promising hormone for AD immunoprophylaxis because in Type I macrophages combined treatment with 1,25D3 and curcuminoids has additive effects, and in Type II macrophages 1,25D3 treatment is effective alone.
Human macrophages are a new paradigm for testing immune therapies for AD.
PMID: 19433889
Absolutely unbelievable. Great find.
I am excited about “where we are” with medicine. I think the next 20 years will produce some real neat stuff.
I’d also love to hear about how the pharmaceutical companies are making out with the ultra pure resveratrol.
@chaos 824 wrote:
Absolutely unbelievable. Great find.
I am excited about “where we are” with medicine. I think the next 20 years will produce some real neat stuff.
I’d also love to hear about how the pharmaceutical companies are making out with the ultra pure resveratrol.
What Pharmaceutical Companies can do is to take a natural molecule and modify it by adding a few atoms or changing a bit of its structure, while avoiding affecting its actions. This new modified molecule is then patentable and becomes a new drug. After $250 Million for doing studies to satisfy the FDA, the drug companies have about an 8 year window during which they can sell the drug. If lucky, this turns into a multibillion dollar a year business.
What UCLA has already done is to create an artificial Curcumin, which has the property of lasting longer than real Curcumin. This molecule, of course, is patentable and is about to become a new drug. UCLA will license it to a drug company to do studies on and get FDA approval in order to sell it. This gives UCLA some of the profits.
Resveratrol, itself, doesn’t last very long in the body before it is degraded. Thus, it is ripe for modification into a drug as well. The primary problem is that there isn’t exactly an illness to target for Resveratrol since its actions are broad. The FDA wants a drug to actually treat a disease before it can approve it.
If you look at Melatonin and Ramelteon (Rozerem), an artificial Melatonin, you can see that the molecules look similar. Ramelteon actually works better than Melatonin since it is Melatonin without a lot of Melatonin’s side effects.
I actually do not see a problem with this. It takes $250 million or more to satisfy the FDA so a drug can be approved for market. This is one reason Estriol isn’t sold in the US. It is not patentable. Thus it is SAD that Estriol, which helps prevent breast cancer is then NOT available to women in the U.S. except through compounding pharmacies.
When the patent ends, the drug becomes generic and the cost plummets to the benefit of everyone. One just has to have patience about this.
The patents ended for the vast majority of bread-and-butter medications over the past few years. Who would have thought one can get Claritin generic for $15 for 300 tablets? This is a boon decade for the major medications becoming generic.
The antidepressants, by and large, are now generic medications – many available for $4 a month. Wow! All of the atypical antipsychotics will soon also become generic too.
Note that when a drug becomes generic, health insurance doesn’t give you a hassle about prescribing the medication. This frees the doctor’s hands in making a choice.
In the end, the whole process is a boon to everyone once patience is added to the mix.
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