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Alzheimer's disease is one of the most insidious diseases a person can have, but a new study showing a link between Alzheimer's disease and gum disease brings us closer to finding the cause and hopefully -the, of a remedy.
Links to bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis
Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) is a bacteria in the mouth responsible for chronic periodontitis and is thought to play a role in Alzheimer's disease. New research, however, significantly strengthens this link.
"Infectious agents have already been implicated in the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease, but evidence of causality is not convincing," said Stephen Dominy, M.D.
The study, published in the newspaper Progress of science and led by Dominy and Casey Lynch, founders of the pharmaceutical company Cortexme, have discovered P. gingivalis in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease and may have found a way to block the pathogen, thus offering hope for a potential treatment.
P. gingivalis Invades the brain
During the study, researchers examined mice infected with the virus P. gingivalis and found that this infection finally entered the brain. They found a corresponding increase in beta-amyloid levels, a significant part of the plaques that destroy brain neurons, a defining feature of Alzheimer's disease.
Another consequence of bacterial infections is the presence of harmful enzymes that P. gingivalis secrete, called gingipains, in the neurons of patients with Alzheimer's disease. These gingipains are directly correlated to levels of tau, the protein necessary for the proper functioning of neurons, and to ubiquitin, a protein label that indicates a damaged protein to disintegrate for the body and present in amyloid plaques. beta.
Hope for new preventive treatments
"Despite significant funding and efforts from academia, industry and advocacy, clinical progress in the fight against Alzheimer's disease has been extremely slow," said Lynch. but stresses that the study "details the promising therapeutic approach that Cortexyma adopts to address it with COR388."
The study shows how COR388, developed by the cortexymine, is able to disturb the gingipaines of P. gingivalis that help reduce inflammation, reduce or eliminate amyloid beta in the brain and, what is perhaps most important, to preserve the neurons of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory and which usually deteriorates with the evolution of Alzheimer's disease.
"Now, for the first time," said Dominy, "we have strong evidence linking the intracellular to gram-negative pathogen,[[[[P. gingivalis]and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's, while demonstrating the potential of a clbad of small molecule therapies to alter the trajectory of the disease. "
Cortexis intends to move to Phase 2 and 3 trials, but this could take a few years. For now, the best thing to do to prevent Alzheimer's disease is to ensure good oral health and the development of chronic diseases. periodontitis.
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