Labor-inducing drug shows promising effect as Alzheimer's treatment: ScienceAlert

A drug used to induce labor could protect the aging brain from the accumulation of toxic waste linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

In small doses, The hormone-like substance prostaglandin F2α can be used to induce contractions of the smooth muscles in the uterus to facilitate childbirth or reduce blood loss after birth.

In experiments on rats conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester in the USA, The treatment did not trigger muscle contractions in the uterine wall, but rather in the walls of the lymph vessels in the neck.

As scientists have shown, these vessels consist of tiny, pulsating “pumps” that transport “dirty” fluid from the brain to the lymph nodes in the neck, where it is “cleaned”.

The critical recycling system keeps the brain fit and healthy, but it seems to suffer with age.

Researchers at the University of Rochester have shown that in older rats, the lymph vessels that Cerebrospinal fluid (GFK) Do not pump with the same frequency or strength. Their many valves, which ensure that the liquid flows in the right direction, are also difficult to open and close properly.

Compared to younger rats, researchers have found that older rats have lymph vessels that CSF 63 percent slower.

But maybe that's not inevitable. Using prostaglandin F2α, researchers in Rochester have saved the flow of the brain.Sewage system' in older rats.

The scientists did not even knowThe recycling program, called the glymphatic system, existed until a study on mice in 2012 revealed its presence in the mammalian brain.

Today the glymphatic system also known to exist in humans, and it has recently been shown to be Main culprit in the development of inflammatory brain diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Cerebrospinal fluid is a clear, colorless fluid that coats the brain and spinal cord with a protective, nutrient-rich cocktail. As it flows through the central nervous system, however, it also absorbs waste products that must be regularly eliminated.

In humans, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that surrounds the brain is almost constantly drained, cleaned and refilled; a circulation process takes place three to five times a day.

However, as we age, this process slows down and we run the risk of our cognitive abilities declining. High concentrations of toxic byproducts Swimming in the cerebrospinal fluid HIt has been found to precede neurological diseases and studies have linked slowed clearance of cerebrospinal fluid, leading to reduced sleep quality and reduced cognitive function.

“This research shows that restoring cervical lymphatic function can significantly halt the age-related slowing of waste removal from the brain,” explains mechanical engineer Douglas Kelley of the University of Rochester.

“In addition, this was achieved with a drug that is already in clinical use and offers a potential treatment strategy.”

Whether the drug works in humans remains to be seen, but in rats improved cerebrospinal fluid flow in older animals in a manner comparable to that in younger mice.

The drug was administered topically into the lymph vessels in the neck of the rodents, as researchers found that these vessels drained most of the cerebrospinal fluid.

As Kelley points out, these cervical lymph vessels are “favorably located close to the surface of the skin,” making them favorable targets for future research.

“You can see how this approach, perhaps in combination with other interventions, could form the basis for future therapies for these diseases,” says Kelley.

But before this future can become a reality, much work still needs to be done. It has only been a little over a decade since the glymphatic system was first discovered, and scientists are still discovering whole new networks of tiny channels through the CSF. The hidden waves that propel these fluids also come to light.

Only recently, scientists discovered a completely new layer of brain anatomy, only a few cells thick, that supports the brain's glymphatic system.

This is an emerging area of ​​neuroscience that we will be hearing a lot more about.

The study was published in Natural aging.