blood-brain barrier Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Glyphosate Exposure Linked to Lasting Brain Inflammation

The AHA! Team — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 06:04:19 +0000

Arizona State University via News-Medical – The human brain is an incredibly adaptable organ, often able to heal itself even from significant trauma. The human brain is an incredibly adaptable organ, often able to heal itself even from significant trauma. Yet for the first time, new research shows even brief contact with a common herbicide can cause lasting damage to the brain, which may persist long after direct exposure ends. In a groundbreaking new study, Arizona State University researcher Ramon Velazquez and his colleagues at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, demonstrate that mice exposed to the herbicide glyphosate develop significant brain inflammation, which is associated with neurodegenerative disease. The findings suggest the brain may be much more susceptible to the damaging effects of the herbicide than previously thought. Glyphosate is one of the most pervasive herbicides used in the U.S. and worldwide. The research, which appears today in the Journal of Neuroinflammation, identifies an association between glyphosate exposure in mice and symptoms of neuroinflammation, as well as accelerated Alzheimer’s disease-like pathology. This study tracks both the presence and impact of glyphosate’s byproducts in the brain long after exposure ends, showing an array of persistent, damaging effects on brain health. The research, appeared in the Journal of Neuroinflammation Glyphosate exposure in mice also resulted in premature death and anxiety-like behaviors, which replicates findings by others examining glyphosate exposure in rodents. Further, the scientists discovered these symptoms persisted even after a 6-month recovery period during which exposure was discontinued. Additionally, the investigation demonstrated that a byproduct of glyphosate – aminomethylphosphonic acid – accumulated in brain tissue, raising serious concerns about the chemical’s safety for human populations. “Our work contributes to the growing literature highlighting the brain’s vulnerability to glyphosate. Given the increasing incidence of cognitive decline in the aging population, particularly in rural communities where exposure to glyphosate is more common due to large-scale farming, there is an urgent need for more basic research on the effects of this herbicide.” Ramon Velazquez, researcher, Arizona State University Velazquez is a researcher with the ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the ASU Biodesign Institute and an assistant professor with the School of Life Sciences. He is joined by first author Samantha K. Bartholomew, a PhD candidate in the Velazquez Lab, other ASU colleagues, and co-senior author Patrick Pirrotte, associate professor with the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and researcher with the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in California. According to the Centers for Disease Research, farm laborers, landscape workers, and others employed in agriculture are more likely to be exposed to glyphosate through inhalation or skin contact. Additionally, the new findings suggest that ingestion of glyphosate residues on foods sprayed with the herbicide potentially poses a health hazard. Most people living in the U.S. have been exposed to glyphosate during their lifetime. “My hope is that our work drives further investigation into the effects of glyphosate exposure, which may lead to a reexamination of its long-term safety and perhaps spark discussion about other prevalent toxins in our environment that may affect the brain,” Bartholomew says. The team’s findings build on earlier ASU research that demonstrates a link between glyphosate exposure and a heightened risk for neurodegenerative disorders. The previous study showed that glyphosate crosses the blood-brain barrier, a protective layer that typically prevents potentially harmful substances from entering the brain. Once glyphosate crosses this barrier, it can interact with brain tissue and appears to contribute to neuroinflammation and other harmful effects on neural function. The EPA considers certain levels of glyphosate safe for human exposure, asserting that the chemical is minimally absorbed into the body and is primarily excreted unchanged. However, recent studies, including this one, indicate that glyphosate, and its major metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid, can persist in the body and accumulate in brain tissue over time, raising questions about existing safety thresholds and whether glyphosate use is safe at all. Herbicide may attack more than weeds Glyphosate is the world’s most heavily applied herbicide, used on crops including corn, soybeans, sugar beets, alfalfa, cotton and wheat. Since the introduction of glyphosate-tolerant crops (genetically engineered to be sprayed with glyphosate without dying) in 1996, glyphosate usage has surged, with applications predominately in agricultural settings. The U.S. Geological Survey notes approximately 300 million pounds of glyphosate are used annually in the United States alone. Although glyphosate levels are regulated on foods imported into the United States, enforcement and specific limits can vary. Due to its widespread use, the chemical is found throughout the food chain. It persists in the air, accumulates in soils, and is found in surface and groundwater. Despite being considered safe by the EPA, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies glyphosate as “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” and emerging research, including this study, points to its potential role in worsening neurodegenerative diseases by contributing to pathologies, like those seen in Alzheimer’s disease. The chemical works by inhibiting a specific enzyme pathway in plants that is crucial for producing essential amino acids. However, its impact extends beyond the intended weed, grass and plant targets, negatively affecting the biological systems in mammals, as demonstrated by its persistence in brain tissue and its role in inflammatory processes. “Herbicides are used heavily and ubiquitously around the world,” says Pirrotte, associate professor in TGen’s Early Detection and Prevention Division, director of the Integrated Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource at TGen and City of Hope, and senior author of the paper. “These findings highlight that many chemicals we regularly encounter, previously considered safe, may pose potential health risks. However, further research is needed to fully assess the public health impact and identify safer alternatives.” Is glyphosate safe to use at all? The researchers hypothesized that glyphosate exposure would induce neuroinflammation in control mice and worsen neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s model mice, causing elevated Amyloid-β and tau pathology and worsening spatial cognition after recovery. Amyloid-β and Tau are key proteins that comprise plaques and tau tangles, the classic diagnostic markers of Alzheimer’s disease. Plaques and tangles disrupt neural functioning and are directly linked to memory loss and cognitive decline. The experiments were conducted over 13 weeks, followed by a six-month recovery period. The main metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid, was detected in the brains of both normal and transgenic mice with Alzheimer’s pathology. Transgenic mice are genetically modified to carry genes that cause them to develop Alzheimer’s-like symptoms as they age. This allows researchers to study the progression and effects of the disease in a controlled laboratory setting. The researchers tested two levels of glyphosate exposure: a high dose, similar to levels used in earlier research, and a lower dose that is close to the limit used to establish the current acceptable dose in humans. This lower dose still led to harmful effects in the brains of mice, even after exposure ceased for months. While reports show that most Americans are exposed to glyphosate daily, these results show that even a short period could potentially cause neurological damage. Glyphosate caused a persistent increase in inflammatory markers in the brain and blood, even after the recovery period. This prolonged inflammation could drive the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, indicating even temporary glyphosate exposure can lead to enduring inflammatory processes that affect brain health. The data emphasizes that glyphosate exposure may be a significant health concern for human populations. The researchers stress the need for continued vigilance and intensified surveillance of glyphosate neurological and other long-term negative health effects. “Our goal is to identify environmental factors that contribute to the rising prevalence of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases in our society,” Velazquez says. “By unveiling such factors, we can develop strategies to minimize exposures, ultimately improving the quality of life for the growing aging population.” The National Institutes on Aging, National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and ASU Biodesign Institute funded this study. Source: Arizona State University Journal reference: Bartholomew, S. K., et al. (2024) Glyphosate exposure exacerbates neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s disease-like pathology despite a 6-month recovery period in mice. Journal of Neuroinflammation. doi.org/10.1186/s12974-024-03290-6. To read the original article click here.

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Engineered ‘Cat Parasite’ Helps Deliver Drugs to Brain

The AHA! Team — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 05:35:21 +0000

Yulia Karra via Israel21c – Researchers discover method to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and deliver therapeutic proteins via Toxoplasma gondii. Researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) recently discovered a method to deliver neurological treatment to the human brain using an engineered version of Toxoplasma gondii, commonly known as “the cat parasite.” One of the biggest challenges in treating neurological diseases is getting the therapeutic drugs through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). “It is very difficult to deliver drugs to the brain via the bloodstream; this is especially true for large molecules such as proteins, the critical ‘machines’ that carry out many important functions inside the cell,” said Prof. Oded Rechavi from TAU’s Department of Neurobiology and Sagol School of Neuroscience, who led the study. The study was conducted in collaboration with Rechavi’s PhD student Shahar Bracha, and Prof. Lilach Sheiner, an Israeli scientist and toxoplasma expert from The University of Glasgow. The findings were recently published in the scientific journal Nature Microbiology. Cat parasite To solve the BBB problem, the research team utilized Toxoplasma gondii, which can infect a vast variety of organisms, including humans, but reproduces only in the guts of cats. It is estimated that a third of the global population is infected by the parasite at some point in their lives. “Most people don’t even feel the infection or only experience mild flu-like symptoms,” added Rechavi. What made the parasite the perfect candidate for the novel study is its ability to penetrate the human brain and survive there in a dormant state, without reproducing. This prompted the team to genetically engineer Toxoplasma gondii to secrete therapeutic proteins. “The parasite has three distinct secretion systems,” explained Rechavi. “One of the systems ‘shoots’ a ‘harpoon’ into the neuron, to enable penetration. Once inside, the parasite forms a kind of cyst in which it continues to secrete proteins permanently. We engineered the parasite’s DNA to make it produce and secrete the proteins we want, which have therapeutic potential.” The methodology As part of the study, the team injected transgenic model animals with the genetically engineered parasite to produce and secrete proteins that travel into cell nuclei. Transgenic animals normally have a foreign gene deliberately inserted into their genome. The scientists then gathered enough evidence to prove that the proteins had been delivered to the target area and remained active in the neurons’ nuclei. The current study focused primarily on a protein called MeCP2, whose deficiency is associated with Rett syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that affects the way the brain develops. Researchers emphasized, however, that the method could prove useful in the treatment of a series of diseases caused by deficiency or abnormal expression of a certain protein. To ensure the method’s safe and effective therapeutic implementation, for both drug delivery and genetic editing, a company named Epeius Pharma, was established in collaboration with Ramot, the technology transfer company of Tel Aviv University, and with the University of Glasgow’s research and innovation services. To read the original article click here.

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Oxidized Cholesterol and Alzheimer’s Disease

AHA Publisher — Fri, 13 May 2022 07:00:51 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via NutritionFacts – Oxidized cholesterol can be a hundred times more toxic than regular cholesterol, raising additional concerns about foods such as ghee, canned tuna, processed meat, and parmesan cheese. Too much cholesterol in the blood “has long been considered to act as a primary risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease and, possibly, Parkinson’s disease.” Striking images on autopsy show that the brain arteries of Alzheimer’s victims are clogged with fat and cholesterol, compared to non-demented elderly controls, as you can see at 0:16 in my video Oxidized Cholesterol as a Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease. But “cholesterol cannot be directly exported across the blood-brain barrier,” so it can’t get directly into—or out of—the brain. What if the brain has too much cholesterol and needs to get rid of some? As a safety valve, an enzyme in the brain can oxidize cholesterol. So, in that form, it can exit the brain and eventually the body. There’s a catch, though. “Although this fact means that the brain can eliminate excess amounts of these oxidation products,” it could be a two-way street. “[I]t could conversely allow toxic amounts of oxysterols [oxidized cholesterol], present in the blood stream, to accumulate in the brain”—that is, to go the other way. This is not just a theoretical concern. An elegant study showed that by measuring oxidized cholesterol levels in the blood coming off the brain, collected from the jugular vein in the neck, compared to the levels going into the brain through the artery, you could determine the difference. The researchers found that if you have too much oxidized cholesterol in your bloodstream, it can end up in your brain. This is a problem, because research shows the accumulation of oxysterols can be “cytotoxic, mutagenic, atherogenic and possibly carcinogenic”—in other words, toxic to cells, toxic to DNA, and contributing to heart disease and maybe also cancer. Yes, samples from atherosclerotic plaques on autopsy contain 20 times more cholesterol than normal arteries, but they contain 45 times higher levels of oxidized cholesterol. Cholesterol oxidation products may be up to a hundred times more pathological, more toxic, than unoxidized cholesterol, contributing not only to heart disease, but potentially also to a variety of different major chronic diseases, including Alzheimer’s, as you can see at 2:03 in my video. How can we cut down on the amount of these oxysterols in our body? One way is by not eating them. Oxidized cholesterol is found in “milk powders, meat and meat products (including fish), cheese, eggs and egg products.” “Until recently, our understanding…has been limited by the lack of analytical procedures [testing methods] to analyse foods with sufficient sensitivity and accuracy”—until now, that is. As you can see at 2:39 in my video, oxidized cholesterol can be found throughout animal products. Canned tuna was surprisingly high, but ghee takes the cake. Ghee, clarified or boiled butter, is commonly used in Indian cooking. Its method of preparation appears to multiply oxidized cholesterol levels tenfold. This dietary exposure to oxidized cholesterol may help explain why the subcontinent of India is ravaged by such heart disease, even though a significant proportion of the population stays away from meat and eggs. (A number of Indian dairy-based desserts are also made in a similar way to ghee.) Oxidized cholesterol in the diet is a source of oxidized cholesterol in the human bloodstream, where it can readily cross the blood-brain barrier into the brain. This could then trigger inflammation inside the brain and the buildup of amyloid “years before the impairment of memory is diagnosed.” Early studies showing the buildup of oxidized cholesterol in the blood of those fed meals rich in oxidized cholesterol, causing a spike in the bloodstream a few hours after eating, as you can see at 3:45 in my video, were done with things like powdered egg, which can be found in a lot of processed foods, but you typically don’t sit down to a meal of it. You get the same types of spikes, though, from eating “ordinary foodstuff.” Give folks some salami and parmesan cheese, which are naturally rich in cholesterol oxidation products (COPs), and later that day, COP is circulating throughout their bodies, as you can see at 4:04in my video. Higher levels are not only associated with mild cognitive impairment, but they’re linked to Alzheimer’s disease as well. “Increased oxysterol concentrations in the brain may promote cellular damage, cause neuron [nerve cell] dysfunction and degeneration, and could contribute to neuroinflammation [brain inflammation] and amyloidogenesis,” the formation of amyloid plaques. You can show the boost in inflammatory gene expression right in a petri dish, as you can see at 4:30 in my video. You can grow human nerve cells in vitro and drip on a little cholesterol, which causes a bump in inflammation. According to a blog on neuropathycure.org, if you add the same amount of oxidized cholesterol, it gets much worse. What’s more, if you look at the changes in brain oxysterols at different stages of Alzheimer’s disease on autopsy, you can see how the three main cholesterol oxidation products appear to be building up, as I show at 4:48 in my video. Levels have been shown to dramatically increase in Alzheimer’s disease brains, adding to the evidence that oxidized cholesterol may be “the driving force behind the development of Alzheimer’s disease.” Cholesterol gets oxidized when animal products are exposed to heat. Are there some cooking methods that are less risky than others? Find out in my video How to Reduce Cholesterol Oxidation. KEY TAKEAWAYS A primary risk factor for the development of Alzheimer’s and possibly Parkinson’s diseases is too much cholesterol in the blood. Although cholesterol can’t be exported directly across the blood-brain barrier, it can be oxidized by an enzyme in the brain and, in that form, exit the brain. However, oxidized cholesterol present in the bloodstream may be able to enter the brain through this two-way street. Accumulation of these oxysterols can be toxic to cells and DNA, as well as contribute to heart disease and possibly cancer. Samples from atherosclerotic plaques on autopsy contain 20 times more cholesterol than normal arteries and 45 times higher levels of oxidized cholesterol, which can be 100 times more toxic than regular unoxidized cholesterol. Oxysterols are found throughout animal products, including dairy, meat (including fish), and eggs, and one way to cut down on the amount of them in our body is by not consuming them. The preparation of ghee, clarified or boiled butter that is commonly used in Indian cooking, appears to multiply oxysterol levels tenfold, which may help explain why heart disease is so rampant on the Indian subcontinent despite a significant percentage of Indians avoiding meat and eggs. The presence of oxidized cholesterol in the brain can trigger inflammation inside the brain and the buildup of amyloid, far before memory impairment is diagnosed. To read the original article click here.

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UCI-led Meta-analysis Identifies Hypertension Medications That Help Ward Off Memory Loss

AHA Publisher — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 07:00:23 +0000

University of California, Irvine via Newswise – A large-scale meta-analysis led by University of California, Irvine researchers provides the strongest evidence yet of which blood pressure medications help slow memory loss in older adults: those that can travel out of blood vessels and directly into the brain. The findings, published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, will be of interest to the 91 million Americans whose blood pressure is high enough to warrant medication, as well as the doctors who treat them. Elevated blood pressure in middle age is known to increase the risk of dementia later in life. Previous studies have shown that some hypertension medications can help stave off dementia in individuals who are already hypertensive. However, which medications and how have been a mystery. “This wasn’t an examination of one specific drug or even one class of drugs; it was a property of the drug – whether it gets into the brain. If physicians were convinced that this property is valuable, it wouldn’t require a dramatic change to their prescribing practice. They could simply choose another drug within the same family that crosses the blood-brain barrier,” said corresponding author Daniel Nation, associate professor of psychological science at UCI. The meta-analysis by Nation and lead author Jean Ho was 10 times larger than any prior work isolating the blood-brain-barrier-crossing characteristic of hypertension drugs. It included more than 12,800 people over the age of 50 in 14 separate studies carried out across six countries. The meta-analysis, published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, found that older adults who took blood pressure medications that cross the blood-brain barrier had less memory loss over three years. Courtesy of Hypertension Two classes of popular blood pressure medications were examined: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers. But rather than sorting the drugs by type, the researchers categorized them by whether or not they cross the blood-brain barrier. They found that people who took hypertension medications that cross the blood-brain barrier experienced less cognitive decline over three years than those who used blood pressure drugs that stay only in the bloodstream. Individuals had to take the medication for at least six months to be included in the study. The meta-analysis covered a range of cognitive tests, but the aspect with statistically significant benefit was word list recall, which Nation said is a strong indicator of overall memory abilities. “If a medication can have an effect on someone who has only mild memory changes in a relatively short period, like three years, that could change their trajectory over the long run,” said Ho, a postdoctoral scholar at the UCI Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders. Other cognitive parameters looked at included learning, language skills and executive function, but no measurable differences in effect were found between the two medication types. One surprising result: The cohort that took drugs that do not cross the blood-brain barrier had better outcomes on attention. Ho and Nation point out that while cardiovascular disease tends to negatively affect attention, such deficits are not a common sign of dementia. The two are pursuing new studies to better understand that finding. Although there is not widespread agreement on which drugs cross the blood-brain barrier, the UCI researchers put the following in that category: ACE inhibitors captopril, fosinopril, lisinopril, perindopril, ramipril and trandolapril, as well as the ARBs telmisartan and candesartan. To read the original article click here.

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Malfunctioning Blood-Brain Barrier Is Linked to Benign Forgetfulness of Aging

AHA Publisher — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 07:00:06 +0000

University of Washington School of Medicine/UW Medicine via News-Medical – Have you forgotten where you laid your keys? Ever wondered where you had parked your car? Or having trouble remembering the name of the new neighbor? Unfortunately, these things seem to get worse as one gets older. A big question for researchers is where does benign forgetfulness end and true disease begin? One of the keys to having a healthy brain at any age is having a healthy blood-brain barrier, a complex interface of blood vessels that run through the brain. Researchers reviewed more than 150 articles to look at what happens to the blood-brain barrier as we age. Their findings were published March 15 in Nature Aging. Whether the changes to the blood-brain barrier alters brain function, however, is still up for debate. “It turns out very little is known how the blood-brain barrier ages. It’s often hard to tell normal aging from early disease.” (William Banks, Study Lead Author and Gerontology Researcher, School of Medicine, University of Washington) Banks is a researcher with the Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center at the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System The blood-brain barrier, discovered in the late 1800s, prevents the unregulated leakage of substances from blood into the brain. The brain is an especially sensitive organ and cannot tolerate direct exposure to many of the substances in the blood. Increasingly, scientists have realized that the blood-brain barrier also allows many substances into the brain in a regulated way to serve the nutritional needs of the brain. It also transports informational molecules from the blood to the brain and pumps toxins out of the brain. A malfunctioning blood-brain barrier can contribute to diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Before scientists can understand how such malfunctioning can contribute to the diseases of aging, they need to understand how a healthy blood-brain barrier normally ages. Research shows that healthy aging individuals have a very small leak in their blood-brain barrier. This leakage is associated with some measures of the benign forgetfulness of aging, considered by most scientists to be normal. But could this leak and the difficulties in recall be the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease? When a person carries the ApoE4 allele, the strongest genetic risk of Alzheimer’s risk, researchers said there is an acceleration of most of the blood-brain barrier age-related changes. People with ApoE4 have a hard time getting rid of amyloid beta peptide in their brains, which causes an accumulation of plaque. With healthy aging, the pumps in the blood-brain barrier work less efficiently in getting rid of the amyloid beta peptide. The pumps work even less well in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Another key finding in the review is that as we age, two cells begin to change in the blood-brain barrier: pericytes and astrocytes. Recent work suggests that the leak in the blood-brain barrier that occurs with Alzheimer’s may be due to an age-related loss of pericytes. Astrocytes, by contrast, seem to be overactive. Recent work suggests that preserving pericyte function by giving the factors that they secrete or even transplanting them could lead to a healthier blood-brain barrier. Some research suggests that pericyte health can be preserved by some of the same interventions that extend lifespan, such as regular exercise, caloric restriction, and rapamycin. Other findings raise the question of whether the brain’s source of nutrition and its grip on control of the immune and endocrine systems could deteriorate with aging. Another finding raises the possibility that the rate at which many drugs are taken up by the brain may explain why older folks sometimes have different sensitivities to drugs than their children or grandchildren. To read the original article click here.

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Scientists Discover New Way to Diagnose Neurological Conditions

AHA Publisher — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 08:00:53 +0000

Abigail Klein Leichman via Israel21c – Using algorithms to analyze electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns could rapidly diagnose brain blood vessel pathology indicating the potential for Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury and stroke. The new method from Dr. Dan Milikovsky and Prof. Alon Friedman at the Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is based on Friedman’s discovery that patients with these brain conditions display nonconvulsive epileptic seizure-like activity that can be detected by EEG recordings. The study was published in Science Translational Medicine by a team of authors including researchers from academic institutions and medical centers in Israel, the United States and Canada. “Research from our lab and others, shows that the pathological changes in the brain blood vessels, which are usually referred to as the blood-brain barrier (BBB), contribute to the formation of Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders,” said Friedman. “Since dysfunction of the BBB is also a key component in the pathogenesis of epilepsy, we hypothesized that BBB dysfunction in Alzheimer’s patients would also trigger abnormal brain activity that could be detected by EEG, an accessible and affordable tool used in the clinic, and serve as a diagnostic method for these conditions.” The technology was successfully tested on animal models and dozens of patients and is now been validated on large databases of EEG records of thousands of patients. “The technology offers a biomarker for immediate results and allows for the continuous monitoring of the progression of the neurological condition and response to treatment,” said Josh Peleg, CEO of BGN Technologies, the technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion University. “We are now seeking a potential industry partner for the further development of this promising method for a variety of applications, from monitoring of ICU patients to patients after stroke and head injuries and for the diagnosis of vascular pathology in early Alzheimer’s disease.” To read the original article click here. For more articles from Israel21c click here.

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Targeted Delivery of Highly Toxic Anti-Cancer Drug to Brain Tumors

AHA Publisher — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 08:00:39 +0000

University of Houston via EurekAlert – With a survival rate of only five years, the most common and aggressive form of primary brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme, is notoriously hard to treat using current regimens that rely on surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and their combinations. “Two of the major challenges in the treatment of gliomas include poor transport of chemotherapeutics across the blood brain barrier and undesired side effects of these therapeutics on healthy tissues,” said Sheereen Majd, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Houston. “To get enough medicine across the blood brain barrier, a high dosage of medication is required, but that introduces more toxicity into the body and can cause more problems.” In an article published and featured on the cover of a January issue of Advanced Healthcare Materials, Majd reports a new glioma-targeted nano-therapeutic that will only address tumor cells offering increased effectiveness and reduced side effects. An iron chelator known as Dp44mT (Di-2-pyridylketone-4,4-dimethyl-3-thiosemicarbazone) is an effective medication known to inhibit the progression of tumors but had not been used against brain tumors prior to this study. The chelator works to pull out the overabundance of iron needed by cancer cells, thus starving them. Using clues from the tumors themselves, Majd developed a Dp44mT-loaded nano-carrier that would be drawn to glioma tumors, which present many IL13 (Interluken) receptors. Because the IL13 receptors are abundant, she added IL13 ligands onto her FDA-approved biodegradable polymer carrier (with the Dp44mT inside) so the receptors would lure the ligands, thus receiving the medicine. Prior to her new carrier, the Dp44mT drug would be administered, but could go anywhere in the body, even places it is not meant to go. “It’s like an envelope with no address on it. It can land anywhere, and with toxins inside it could kill anything. Now, with our targeted delivery, we put an address on the package and it goes directly to the cancer cells,” said Majd. Aggressive brain tumors also develop high levels of multidrug resistance making them nearly impervious to common chemotherapeutics such as temozolomide or doxorubicin. “There is, hence, an urgent need for more effective therapeutic formulations with the ability to overcome drug resistance in aggressive glioma tumors and to kill these malignant cells without damaging the healthy tissues,” reports Majd. Majd’s study, which tested the nano-therapeutic both in vivo and in vitro, is the first report on targeted delivery of Dp44mT to malignant tumors. To read the original article click here.

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The Gut-Brain Connection: How It Works + How to Support It

AHA Publisher — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 08:00:54 +0000

Kissairis Munoz via Dr. Axe – You’ve probably used the phrases: “I have butterflies in my stomach,” “I have a gut feeling about this,” or “there’s a pit in my stomach.” Have you ever wondered why so many of these sayings involve our brains and tummies? The answer is the gut-brain connection. As it turns out, your nervous stomach isn’t such a coincidence. In fact, the more we learn about the human gut, or our gut microbiome, the more it’s clear that it really is our “second brain.” You’re probably already aware that leaky gut syndrome is linked to serious conditions and diseases. Turns out, science is discovering that the connection between our guts and our emotions is just as strong. What Is the Gut-Brain Connection? The microbes in the gut play a significant role in human body function. The gut microbiome is responsible for everyday functions, including digestion and the nutrient absorption. The gut and brain work in a “bi-directional manner,” which means that gut health can impact stress, anxiety, depression and cognition. Scientific studies show that the gut is home to the enteric nervous system (ENS). Separate from the central nervous system, the ENS is made up of two thin layers with more than 100 million nerve cells in them — more than the spinal cord. These cells line the gastrointestinal tract, controlling blood flow and secretions to help the gastrointestinal tract digest food. They also help us “feel” what’s happening inside the gut, since this second brain is behind the mechanics of food digestion. While the second brain doesn’t get involved in thought processes like political debates or theological reflection, studies suggest that it does control behavior on its own. Researchers believe this came about to make digestion more efficient in the body. Instead of having to “direct” digestion through the spinal cord and into the brain and back, we developed an on-site brain that could handle things closer to the source. Because this second brain is so complex, scientists aren’t convinced that it was designed as just a way to aid in digestion. So while it isn’t capable of thoughts, it does “talk” to the brain in major ways. Impact on Depression The gut microbiome appears to play a role in depression. The microflora has proved to benefit mental health by enhancing the microbiome content in our GI systems. Researchers have learned that healthy gut microflora transmits brain signals through pathways that are involved in brain neuron formation and behavioral control. They also proved that inflammation affects the brain and how someone thinks, which explains why more than 20 percent of inflammatory bowel disease patients exhibit depressed behaviors. One study illustrated how the gut and brain are connected through studying the effects of probiotics on patients with irritable bowel syndrome and depression. Researchers found that twice as many patients saw improvements from depression when they took a probiotic as compared to the other patients who took a placebo. Again, with an improvement of the gut came an improvement of mental well-being. Patients in this study took the probiotic Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001 daily. Studies show that patients with inflammatory diseases are prone to depression. The theory is that a dysregulation of the pathways involved in the gut-brain axis is responsible for this phenomenon. Research indicatesthat inflammation leads to depression, and depression worsens cytokine responses, so it’s really just a vicious cycle. Impact on Anxiety Research shows that stress is intimately tied to our guts — thereby proving the gut-brain connection. We know that gut health influences anxiety and the body’s response to stress as part of the brain-gut connection. Our bodies respond to stress with a “fight or flight system,” related to our cortisol levels and which we know is ruled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. When something scary or worrying happens, like someone unexpectedly jumps in front of you, you have a physical reaction: Your palms might get sweaty, and you might feel your heartbeat quicken. Typically, if you’re in a stressful situation that is then diffused, your body goes back to normal. However, if you’re constantly stressed, your body is stuck in that fight or flight phase over an extended period of time. The critical part is that our bodies are unable to distinguish between physical and mental stress. Thus your body responds the same way if a bear shows up in your home as it does when you realize you hate your job — it tries to combat the stress. This constant state of stress causes chronic inflammation. The body reacts to the stress as a type of infection and tries to overcome it. Because inflammation is at the root of many diseases, this exposure to prolonged stress can have serious consequences for your health, ranging from high blood pressure to autoimmune disorders. The types of bacteria found in the gut — “good bacteria” — play a role in how our immune responses are regulated. Related: Mythbusters: Mood Plays Little Role in Your Health Natural Ways to Improve Your Gut-Brain Connection While there’s still much to uncover about the mystery of the gut and all it affects, we are sure of a few things you should do to improve your gut-brain connection. 1. Avoid Processed Foods For starters, a whole foods-based diet leads to a gut with a much different makeup than one that’s been fed mainly refined and processed foods. Even worse, ultra-processed foods — like white bread, chips and snack cakes — make up nearly 60 percent of the average American’s diet. The added sugar found in these foods, often disguised as different types of artificial sweeteners, are responsible for a variety of health conditions, from obesity to type 2 diabetes to migraines. 2. Eat Probiotics Eating probiotic-rich foods, like kefir and sauerkraut, can also cause your gut and mood to thrive. Probiotics are good bacteria that primarily line your gut and are responsible for nutrient absorption and supporting your immune system. 3. Swear Off Gluten For many people, limiting gluten will also have positive effect on their gut microbiomes. The traditional methods of soaking, sprouting and souring grains in order to make them digestible and nutritious have been abandoned for a fast and convenient method of mass producing food. 4. Eat Healthy Fats Healthy fats are essential for brain development. Olive oil, for instance, includes a high amount of antioxidants that protect your cells from damage. It also helps improve memory and cognitive function, and works as an anti-inflammatory. Avocado benefits range from protecting your heart to helping with digestion, but it’s also a great pick for improving your mood. 5. Consume Mushrooms The shiitake mushroom contains plenty of vitamin B6. Because vitamin B6 impacts the production of serotonin and neurotransmitters, healthy B6 levels are associated with a positive mood and reducing stress naturally. It’s also been shown to effectively treat mood disorders like depression in animal research. 6. Eat Nuts Have a small handful of nuts, like almonds, cashews, walnuts and Brazil nuts. Why? Research shows they’re full of serotonin, a feel-good chemical that’s in short supply when you’re depressed. 7. Have Sesame Seeds Sesame seeds benefits stem from tyrosine, an amino acid that boosts the brain’s dopamine levels. It kicks the feel-good hormone into high gear while balancing out the others. We don’t have all the answers on the gut-mood link just yet, but one thing is certain: Our bodies and minds are much more connected than you believe. Taking care of one part will reap benefits for the rest of you. Final Thoughts The microbes in the gut play a significant role in human body function. They are responsible for everyday functions, including digestion and the nutrient absorption, and gut health has a significant impact on mental health. This is known as the gut-brain connection. Research shows that there’s a connection between gut microbiota and mental health disorders like depression and chronic anxiety or stress. The key is to improve gut health, which will reduce systemic inflammation and improve mental health thanks to the gut-brain connection. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Axe click here.

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How These Mushrooms & Adaptogens Can Help Grow Brain Cells, Reduce Anxiety, and Fight off Depression

AHA Publisher — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 07:00:55 +0000

Dr. Caroline Leaf – When many of us think of mushrooms, we either think of the ones we cook with, the ones people use to get “high” or the ones that are very dangerous. But did you know that certain mushrooms are superfoods that can boost your mental and physical health? In this podcast (#217) and blog, I speak with Tero Isokauppila, a health and wellness expert and founder and CEO of Four Sigmatic, a company that creates everyday health products to upgrade your daily routine. We discuss why mushrooms are good for our moods, minds, and mental health, what adaptogens are and how to use them, how superfoods like mushrooms can improve our physical health and help us deal with stress, common myths about mushrooms, simple ways to upgrade your daily health routine and more! As Tero points out, the brain and nervous system is the next frontier in science. This is a very new field of science, and we are learning more and more every day, including how the brain gets energy. Only certain compounds that can enter through blood-brain barrier, so it can be challenging for brain to get good nutrition. Superfoods like cacao and certain mushrooms have compounds that are small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier and provide the brain with different nutrients. In fact, cacao is one of the most nutritionally diverse foods in the world, which is why Four Sigmatic has a range of healthy hot cacao drinks to help you improve your health. A lot of the smaller compounds in cacao are neurotransmitters that can pass through this blood-brain barrier and activate the brain, providing nutrients and energy that can improve our mental and physical wellbeing. Science is just beginning to show how and in what way natural compounds like mushrooms and cacao, which have been used for centuries in different cultures, improve our health. This is a new, exciting era of wellness! However, since the science is so new, there are a lot of misconceptions about mushrooms out there that need to be addressed: Mushrooms are not plants – they are fungi. Fungi is its own biological kingdom, one that is closely related to humans. We share up to 50% of our DNA with fungi! They don’t all grow on the ground. Many mushroom superfoods like lion’s mane actually grow on trees. They are not all psychedelic. Superfood mushrooms like reishi, lion’s mane and cordyceps will not get you “high”. They are not weird or “kooky”. Mushrooms are among the most researched foods in the world. Many of them are important ingredients in pharmaceuticals. They are not all poisonous. Ancient foods like mushrooms are important for immunity, gut health and brain power. Just like certain foods in the plant and animal kingdom are nutritionally dense, certain mushrooms are really good for us! For example, the lion’s mane mushroom, which grows on trees, can help with the remyelination of nerve cells, which can, in turn, improve thinking speeds and stimulate the growth of brain cells. Studies have even shown that this mushroom may help prevent or reduce the symptoms of cognitive decline. Cordyceps is another great mushroom for our health, which increases maximum oxygen intake and help fuel the brain and body, while mushrooms like reishi can help combat the negative effects of a high stress environment, as they support the HPA axis and endocrine system, which can help balance the stress response. These superfood mushrooms are also adaptogens. These are ancients plants or mushrooms that help you adapt to physical and mental stressors. They are natural, non-additive foods that you can eat every day to boost energy and stamina. However, they are not just uppers or downers; they are non-specific (impacting multiple systems in body) and restore harmony to brain and body. Four Sigmatic also has their own range of edible skincare products! Why? Your skin is your largest organ. What you put on your skin is absorbed into your body and can impact your mental and physical wellbeing. As research has shown, we should be aware of what we are putting into AND what we are putting onto our body. Indeed, many artificial skin products can actually negatively impact the blood-brain barrier and our health! However, as Tero points out, nutrition is not the be all and end all of health. Our mind and what we think is really important too, as well as our lifestyle practices! This is why, every day, Tero makes sure he takes care of both his mental and physical self-care by: Choosing to see obstacles as opportunities to grow and learn. Starting the morning hydrated. Taking naps, a siesta or breaks after a meal, which includes meditation and mindfulness practices and using his acupressure nail bed mat (which helps the nervous system and releases tension). Taking breaks are so important if we want to stay healthy and happy!! Practicing regular deep breathing (for more on how to do this listen to my recent podcast episode #216 and check out this blog). Getting outside every day and exercising. Eating real foods rich in nutrients and antioxidants like those found in cacao. Check out Four Sigmatic’s delicious products to find ways to incorporate these superfoods into your daily routine! Practicing mental self-care through brain building and self-regulation. For more mental self-care tips, pre-order my new book 101 Ways to be Less Stressed, which is now on sale at 20% off! You can also check out my app SWITCH, which is a great tool for helping you learn how to manage your mind every day, deal with the roots of your mental distress, and overcome thought patterns and behaviors that impact your wellbeing through the mental process of reconceptualization. Doing thermal exercise. This includes heat exposure, such as using a steam room or sauna as well as cold exposure, like taking an ice bath or cold shower. (For more on why saunas are so great for your mental and physical health and to learn what sauna I use every day, check out podcast episode #192 and blog, and for more on cold exposure and mental health, listen to my recent podcast episode #216 and check out this blog).

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