Scientists discover a clue that may molecularly explain the origins and cause of Alzheimer's. According to SciTechDaily, this clue may also potentially explain why women have higher risks of developing the condition.
CDC reports how Alzheimer's impacts close to 6 million individuals in the United States alone. This condition is the most common type of dementia that tends to occur alongside aging.
SciTechDaily notes how the condition always has fatality that usually happens within ten years from the onset. There is also currently no way to reverse or halt the progression of the disease.
Considering these shortcomings, it just shows how scientists still fall short in terms of the development of Alzheimer's. Experts also do not understand why most Alzheimer's cases cover women.
Complement C3 Protein Higher in Women Who Succumbed to Alzheimer's
As part of the study, the MIT and Scripp Research scientists discovered a toxic and chemically adjusted version of a particular immune protein, that is inflammatory, had greater levels in the brains of women who had succumbed to the condition.This protein is referred to as complement C3. It was found to be higher among women than men who had succumbed to the disease.
The study also revealed how estrogen, which typically lowers when women reach menopause, usually safeguards against the propagation of the specific complement C3.
According to senior study author Stuart Lipton, such findings propose how chemical modification of a complement structure component could be a driver of Alzheimer's. Lipton also mentions how this may partially explain how the disease particularly affects women mostly.
In the recent study, the team used new ways to detect S-nitrosylation, which is the chemical reaction process that leads to a modified complement C3, to gauge proteins that were modified across 40 different postmortem brains. Half of these were from individuals that succumbed to Alzheimer's while the other half were from those who did not die due to the condition. The groups were also equally divided according to sex.
As they studied the brains, the researchers discovered 1,449 different S-nitrosylated proteins. Among proteins that were adjusted in such a manner, several had been linked to Alzheimer's. The results also showed how S-nitrosylated C3 (SNO-C3) were over six times higher in the brains of females with Alzheimer's rather than their male counterparts.
Why Is S-Nitrosylated C3 Higher in Female Alzheimer Brains?
SciTechDaily reports how SNO-C3 could be more prominent across female Alzheimer brains because of existing evidence of the role of estrogen. Hence, the scientists assumed that estrogen may have safeguarded the brain of women against C3 S-nitrosylation. This protection, however, gets diminished alongside the fall of estrogen when menopause arises.
Studies focusing on human brain cells that are cultured also supported such assumptions and showed how SNO-C3 heightens as estrogen levels decrease.
Lipton notes how the prevalence of the condition among women has been a long standing mystery. He also adds that their findings are an important puzzle piece that helps shed light into the risks for women to develop the condition as they age.
The team hopes to study further compounds that de-nitrosylate or remove the modification of SNO. They aim to assess if pathology can be lessened among animal Alzheimer models and later on, among humans as well.
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