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Fox News
5 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Ingredient in common kitchen herbs could target Alzheimer's, but don't change any recipes just yet
Experts believe they've identified a chemical compound in certain herbs that could help mitigate or prevent Alzheimer's disease — but before anyone makes a run for the spice rack, there are a few catches. In a study published in the journal Antioxidants earlier this year, researchers from the Scripps Research Institute identified a compound called carnosic acid, which is prevalent in rosemary and sage. The compound could prove therapeutic for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, the experts concluded. Carnosic acid contains "striking antioxidant [and] anti-inflammatory properties," the researchers wrote in the findings. Scripps Research postdoctoral associate Piu Banerjee and board-certified neurologist Dr. Stuart Lipton, based in California, spoke with Fox News Digital about the results. "In this study, we observed that administering this drug to mice that had advanced Alzheimer's-like disease significantly improved the number of neurons, as well as the number of synapses or connections between the brain cells," the team said. The experts added, "It also reduced inflammation that is caused by the current anti-amyloid antibody therapies. We also observed an improvement in the learning and memory behavior of the mice that received the drug." "From the results of our animal studies, we are cautiously optimistic for its success in the human clinical trials." Banerjee and Lipton also noted that carnosic acid is a "prodrug," meaning it's inactive at first — but once it enters the body, it's activated by oxidative and inflammatory stress. "It specifically targets cells undergoing oxidative and inflammatory stress, without affecting the healthy, normal brain cells," Banerjee said. "This further makes it a safe option for therapeutics." The experts agreed that carnosic acid could potentially improve the inflammation that generally occurs in most aging brains. There are cautions, however. Courtney Kloske, director of scientific engagement for the Chicago-based Alzheimer's Association, told Fox News Digital that studies based on a mouse model of Alzheimer's can be helpful but are not conclusive. There is insufficient clinical evidence to recommend rosemary and sage as a standard therapy. "Models are important in helping us understand the basic biology of the disease, but we need human studies in representative populations for ideas to be fully validated," Kloske said. "Therefore, while these are intriguing findings, more research is needed to understand the impacts and outcomes of these compounds on people living with, or at risk for, Alzheimer's." Cooking sage and rosemary won't provide the full anti-inflammatory effects, Banerjee and Lipton stressed. "Critically, one cannot take sufficient herbs safely to produce the same effect as our new drug," Banerjee said. The study, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, did have some limitations, the researchers acknowledged. Kloske advised that, at this point, "no one should consume these herbs (or carnosic acid) to prevent or treat Alzheimer's or other cognitive impairment." Dr. Lee Murray, a neurologist in Jackson, Tennessee, echoed Kloske's concerns. "Before patients start incorporating rosemary and sage in every dish they eat, we need to remember these studies are pre-clinical," Murray told Fox News Digital. "Currently, there is insufficient clinical evidence to recommend rosemary and sage as a standard therapy for Alzheimer's dementia." Murray, however, said the data "is encouraging" and opens the door to additional pathways for potential therapeutics. Banerjee said she hopes that "our drug will start human clinical trials soon." She added, "If it proves to be effective, it will be a great new drug for those suffering from Alzheimer's … From the results of our animal studies, we are cautiously optimistic for its success in human clinical trials."
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Your Favorite Herb Could Soon Become a Key Treatment for Alzheimer's
Scientists have engineered diAcCA, a stable oral drug derived from carnosic acid in rosemary, intended to combat Alzheimer's by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain. In preclinical mouse studies, diAcCA has restored memory function, increased synaptic density, and reduced key Alzheimer's biomarkers, including amyloid-β and phosphorylated-tau proteins. The drug activates solely in inflamed brain areas and uses a compound already deemed safe by the FDA, potentially streamlining the path to human clinical trials and allowing for combination use with existing research shows that rosemary has more benefits than just enhancing the aroma and flavor of your next roast. It turns out that it may also serve as a secret ingredient in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, too. In February, researchers from The Scripps Research Institute published findings from their study on a new compound called diAcCA, which they designed as an oral medication that could one day hopefully help treat Alzheimer's disease. As the researchers explain, diAcCA is derived from carnosic acid (CA), a natural antioxidant found in rosemary and sage, which is already known to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress—two factors strongly linked to Alzheimer's progression in previous studies. The authors explained in a statement that carnosic acid works by activating enzymes in the body's "natural defense system." In its purest state, this acid is too unstable to serve as a viable drug therapy. However, they managed to create a stable form known as diAcCA, which they noted, once consumed, converts to carnosic acid in the gut and is then absorbed into the bloodstream. Their work, published in the journal Antioxidants, demonstrated that in mouse models, diAcCA could deliver therapeutic doses of carnosic acid to the brain, resulting in improved "memory and synaptic density." Their analysis also revealed a significant decrease in inflammation in the brain following treatment. 'By combating inflammation and oxidative stress with this diAcCA compound, we actually increased the number of synapses in the brain,' Stuart Lipton, MD, PhD, senior author and professor at Scripps, shared. 'We also took down other misfolded or aggregated proteins such as phosphorylated-tau and amyloid-β, which are thought to trigger Alzheimer's disease and serve as biomarkers of the disease process.' And perhaps most compelling of all, the scientists noted that the drug is activated solely by the inflammation it targets, making it active only in areas of the brain that combat inflammatory damage, thereby limiting side effects. Related: Regularly Eating Breakfast Could Shield You Against Age-Related Brain Changes, Study Finds 'We did multiple different tests of memory, and they were all improved with the drug,' Lipton added. 'And it didn't just slow down the decline; it improved virtually back to normal.' There's also more good news for these researchers. They noted that carnosic acid is already listed on the US Food and Drug Administration's 'generally regarded as safe' (GRAS) list, which could make clinical trials involving humans easier to conduct, as the ingredient itself wouldn't require additional FDA approval. According to Lipton, DiAcCA has the potential to work well in tandem with other Alzheimer's treatments, adding that 'it could make existing amyloid antibody treatments work better by taking away or limiting their side effects." He is not stopping at Alzheimer's, though. Lipton hopes to explore its use for other inflammatory disorders, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and Parkinson's disease in the future as well. Read the original article on Food & Wine
Euronews
23-03-2025
- Health
- Euronews
Common herbs like rosemary may have inspired a breakthrough Alzheimer's treatment
ADVERTISEMENT Researchers have found a compound derived from common herbs has successfully enhanced memory and brain density in mice, and could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer's. A team from The Scripps Research Institute based in the US worked on a derivative of carnosic acid, a molecule found in rosemary and sage. They synthesised a more stable derivative called diAcCA and then used it to treat mice modified to show Alzheimer's-like symptoms for three months. The mice that received the new drug showed improved learning and memory skills as well as more synapses, the junctions where neurons connect and communicate with each other, according to the findings published in the journal Antioxidants . The loss of synapses correlates strongly with cognitive decline. The mice also showed less buildup of amyloid plaques and tau tangles, two harmful proteins among the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease in humans. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 70 per cent of dementia cases. Related Experimental drug may slow dementia onset for patients with rare genetic form of Alzheimer's It poses a significant and growing burden across Europe, affecting approximately 7 million people today, with numbers projected to double to 14 million by 2030 due to its ageing population. 'By combating inflammation and oxidative stress with this diAcCA compound, we actually increased the number of synapses in the brain,' Stuart Lipton, a professor at Scripps Research and one of the study's authors, said in a statement. 'We also took down other misfolded or aggregated proteins such as phosphorylated-tau and amyloid-β, which are thought to trigger Alzheimer's disease and serve as biomarkers of the disease process,' he added. An anti-oxydant molecule Carnosic acid is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory but it has a very short shelf-life, while the diAcCA can be taken orally before being converted into carnosic acid in the stomach and entering the bloodstream. The amount in the blood of the test mice was 20 per cent higher with the new method compared to usual ingestion of carnosic acid. 'We did multiple different tests of memory, and they were all improved with the drug,' Lipton said. 'And it didn't just slow down the decline; it improved virtually back to normal,' he added. The researchers added that the mice tolerated diAcCA well.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A Hidden Compound in Rosemary Could Help Fight Alzheimer's
A new approach to Alzheimer's disease treatment could be on the horizon, inspired by a compound found in common herbs. Carnosic acid is found in rosemary and sage and is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; however, it is unstable in its pure form. Now researchers in California have synthesized a stable derivative of the compound, which showed promising results in mouse models of Alzheimer's. Mice that were given the stable derivative had boosts in memory, more neuron synapses, reduced inflammation, and more removal of toxic proteins that are linked to Alzheimer's. That covers multiple signs of Alzheimer's disease, which can kill off a high proportion of synapses, breaking key neuron communication routes, while memory loss is one of the most noticeable effects. "We did multiple different tests of memory, and they were all improved with the drug," says neuroscientist Stuart Lipton, from the Scripps Research Institute. "It didn't just slow down the decline, it improved virtually back to normal." One of the main challenges faced by the researchers was getting carnosic acid into a stable form that would last long enough in the brain to have an effect. After extensive tests, they found a suitable di-acetylated form (diAcCA). The gut converts diAcCA to carnosic acid before it enters the bloodstream, where they found it has about 20 percent better absorption than pure carnosic acid. Once converted, the carnosic acid reached therapeutic levels in the brain within an hour. Mice with a form of Alzheimer's were then given diAcCA or a placebo three times a week for three months. The researchers looked at the effects on brain tissue and how well the mice did on exercises designed to assess their memory and ability to learn. The diAcCA compound didn't appear to have any toxic effects on the mice treated with it, and excessive buildups of proteins known to be signs of Alzheimer's damage were reduced in their brains. "By combating inflammation and oxidative stress with this diAcCA compound, we actually increased the number of synapses in the brain," says Lipton. "We also took down other misfolded or aggregated proteins such as phosphorylated tau and amyloid beta, which are thought to trigger Alzheimer's disease and serve as biomarkers of the disease process." It's all very promising, although we're still at the early stages here. Clinical trials will be needed to confirm that diAcCA has the same effects in human brains. Given the anti-inflammatory properties of carnosic acid, which have also been recorded in previous studies, Lipton and his colleagues are hopeful that this same treatment could be used for other conditions linked to inflammation – from type 2 diabetes to Parkinson's. There's also potential for diAcCA drugs to be used alongside other treatments for Alzheimer's that are now available. As this compound is a modified form of carnosic acid – already known to be safe for consumption – the researchers are hoping new medications can be developed on an accelerated schedule. "It could make existing amyloid antibody treatments work better by taking away or limiting their side effects," says Lipton. The research has been published in Antioxidants. Ebola May Be Cured With a Pill, Monkey Experiment Suggests Looking at Images of Nature Does Something Powerful in The Brain Cannabis Use Linked to Epigenetic Changes, Scientists Find
