While it’s not clear exactly how Alzheimer’s starts or develops, aggressive aggregations of a protein called tau in the brain — a protein that doesn’t cause problems in normal amounts — are prime suspects in the case that the researchers want to investigate further.
Here, a team from the University of Verona in Italy focused on the effects of coffee compounds on tau protein clumps, following previous research linking coffee and caffeine to protection against cognitive decline.
“These findings add insights into the neuroprotective potential of espresso and suggest candidate molecular scaffolds for designing therapies targeting monomeric or fibrillated forms of tau protein“, write the researchers in their published paper.
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a technique in which magnetic fields can monitor and analyze substances at the atomic level, has been used to examine the chemical composition of espresso shots. The key ingredients – caffeine, trigonelline, genistein and theobromine – were chosen for further laboratory experiments.
The molecules of these compounds were incubated with tau proteins for up to 40 hours. As the concentration of caffeine, genistein, or whole espresso extract increased, the tau fibrils (protein clumps) shortened and were less likely to form larger clumps.
The research was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Furthermore, experiments showed that these shortened fibrils were not toxic to cells and did not act as ‘seeds’ from which further aggregation could occur. Caffeine and espresso extract also bind to preformed tau fibrils, suggesting they could be used to interact with existing clots and prevent new ones.
Applying coffee compounds directly to proteins in the cells is not how this can act in our body after being absorbed with coffee. The beverage will first be processed in our digestive systems, and while some of these compounds are known to cross the blood-brain barrier, like caffeine, many other complex chemical interactions within our bodies may not direct these effects.
The researchers admit there’s still a lot of work to be done here, but they hope these findings could eventually lead to preventive or therapeutic treatments for Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases in which cognition is impaired.
Current treatments are still unable to reverse or prevent Alzheimer’s, although experts are steadily advancing their understanding, whether with drugs that can slow it or lifestyle changes that can delay symptoms.
Thanks to our Telegram channel you can stay updated on the publication of new articles from Economic Scenarios.
⇒ Register now ⇐