Can an Asthma Drug Help Those with Alzheimer's Disease

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There are several enzymes that researchers at Temple University's School of Medicine have found that indirectly or directly influence the production of amyloid beta a harmful protein that develops in Alzheimer's
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A drug which is used to treat asthma can reduce the formation of amyloid beta, because it interferes with the production of these enzymes. The name of the drug is Zileuton,

Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that affects many functions of the brain. Most often short term memory is decreased. Other functions that are affected are speech, problem solving, ability to express yourself, ability to learn new things, and proper behavior.

Eventually a person with Alzheimer's disease cannot take care of himself. Even simple things like eating and going to the bathroom are affected. The final outcome of Alzheimer's disease is death.

It is thought that the formation of amyloid beta is one of the reasons that brain function is affected. Amyloid beta if left untreated forms harmful plaques. The plaque formation is bad because it interferes with the communication of one brain cell to another. Eventually brain cells die and affected parts of the brain no longer function.

In previous studies at Temple University, researchers have known about an enzyme called 5-lipoxygenase. This enzyme controls the activation of another enzyme called gamma secretase. Gamma secretase is another enzyme that is responsible for the final production of the protein amyloid beta.

Domenico Pratico, an associate professor of pharmacology in Temple's School of Medicine, is in charge of the current study. He and his team of researchers tested the drug called Zileuton. It is an inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase. Zileuton is a drug of choice in the treatment of asthma.

The researchers are using ...read all of Can an Asthma Drug Help Those with Alzheimer's Disease