Arthritis drug may help fight Alzheimer’s
According to a recent research, salsalate, a drug currently in use to treat rheumatoid arthritis, is able to help fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, as performed at the Gladstone Institute of San Francisco, found that salsalate can prevent the build-up of protein tau, which causes toxicity and has been known to contribute to the degeneration of mental health.
During cognitive decline, a chemical process called tau acetylation takes place which is triggered by enzyme p300. Acetylated tau is a toxic protein that leads to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
When tested on mice, acetylated tau reduces the brain’s ability to degrade tau, which can lead to atrophy or impairment. When salsalate was introduced, it was found to reverse the dysfunction caused by acetylated tau by blocking p300. This ultimately reverses memory deficit and prevents future loss of brain cells.
Additionally, salsalate appears to be effective in reduction even once the disease is on set, repairing and delaying symptoms.
Co-author Dr. Eric Verdin says, “Targeting tau acetylation could be a new therapeutic strategy against human tauopathies, like Alzheimer's disease and FTD. Given that salsalate is a prescription drug with a long history of a reasonable safety profile, we believe it can have immediate clinical implications.”
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