What yellow spice may help treat Alzheimers?
When the side-effects of synthetic medications can be scarier than the diseases they treat, it’s refreshing to hear researchers are looking at natural ways to…
Promising drug candidate for Alzheimer’s found in turmeric compound. (Shutterstock)
When the side-effects of synthetic medications can be scarier than the diseases they treat, it’s refreshing to hear researchers are looking at natural ways to make effective pharmaceuticals. Such is the case with the latest Alzheimer’s disease news; experts say they may have isolated a compound in turmeric to treat neurological disorders.
The compound is called aromatic (ar-) turmerone, and experts have known it to be effective in shutting down cells linked to neuroinflammation. In this latest study, however, ar-turmerone showed it also has a benefit for encouraging self-repair of brain function in degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
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The reason ar-turmerone seems to be effective in brain regeneration is in how it affects the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the hippocampus, the two areas of the brain where the growth of neurons occurs. In laboratory rodent studies, adult rats injected with ar-turmerone showed expanded SVZ and hippocampus brain regions when compared to rodents who were not injected with the compound.
How turmeric may treat Alzheimer’s. (Shutterstock)
What’s more, in certain concentrations, ar-turmerone increased neural stem cell production by as much as 80 percent–without having any negative impact on cell death. These new cells also seemed to differentiate quicker compared to cells in rodents not treated with the turmeric.
“While several substances have been described to promote stem cell proliferation in the brain, fewer drugs additionally promote the differentiation of stem cells into neurons, which constitutes a major goal in regenerative medicine,” explained lead author Adele Rueger to MNT. “Our findings on aromatic turmerone take us one step closer to achieving this goal.”
Turmeric has a long history of medicinal use and remains popular in holistic remedies. Its use in the treatment of disease can be traced back nearly 4,000 years to India where it is still cultivated today.
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) indicates more than 100 compounds have been isolated from turmeric, with turmerone being one of the most used in modern applications.
In addition to its effects on brain cells, studies indicate turmeric may have potential uses for other inflammatory body diseases, including cancer. Turmeric is also considered a natural antimicrobial, and studies are underway evaluating its use against certain resistant strains of bacteria and fungi.
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Depression is another condition on the list of things turmeric compounds may be useful for. “Its ethanolic extract markedly attenuated swim stressinduced decreases in serotonin, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, and noradrenaline and dopamine concentrations, as well as increases in serotonin turnover. Also, this extract significantly reversed swim stressinduced increases in serum corticotropin-releasing factor and cortisol levels and thus regulated neurochemical and neuroendocrine systems in mice,” indicates the NLM.
In general terms, in animal stress studies, turmeric compounds were able to regulate the amount of “feel-good” hormones in the brain and help prevent increases in brain chemicals associated with depression.
