Flavonoids May Help Treat Alzheimer's

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One expert is concerned this potential treatment could also affect a patient's cognitive functioning.

"The authors of this study believe that they have identified a drug with a reasonable safety record that could reduce both plaques and tangles," said Greg M. Cole, associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine in Los Angeles.

However, the enzyme (GSK3) targeted by these flavonoids has many important functions, including a role in processes required for normal cognitive function, Cole said.

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"In fact, complete inhibition of GSK3 causes neurons to degenerate. Since cognitive function was not evaluated in this study, researchers still need to learn how much inhibiting GSK3 will be beneficial and side effect-free. That said, this may be a promising new direction," Cole said.

Another expert cautions that promising findings in mice often do not translate into effective treatments in humans.

"While this paper also shows some promising results in amyloid-depositing mice, we know from our recent experience with Alzhemed [a drug to treat Alzheimer's] and statins that the path from 'mouse cures' to 'human cures' may be a tough path indeed," said Dr. Sam Gandy, chairman of the National Medical and Scientific Advisory Council at the Alzheimer's Association and associate director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

"Both Alzhemed and statins were effective in mice, yet failed in the clinic, so the flavonoid data join NSAIDs, vaccines, PBT2, IVIg, secretase modulators, among others, in the queue of interventions that look promising in mice but remain to be thoroughly assessed in humans," Gandy said.

More information

For more on Alzheimer's disease, visit the Alzheimer's Association.

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