Alzheimer's disease (AD) occurs in older adults and causes memory loss, confusion and eventually death. AD is characterized by amyloid beta plaques that accumulate in the brain. Studies suggest that AD patients have a defective immune system clearance of amyloid beta and plaques. Now research reports that curcumin, the yellow pigment derived from the spice turmeric, helps boost the immune system in clearing amyloid beta from the brain.
The cell study, published in The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, examined the effects of curcumin on macrophages (immune system cells that consume waste products) from AD patients. Researchers at the UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles, treated macrophage cell cultures from 3 healthy participants and six AD participants with curcumin. Prior to curcumin treatment, the AD macrophages showed significantly less ingestion of amyloid beta than macrophages from the healthy subjects. Twenty four hours after curcumin treatment, the cell cultures were exposed to amyloid beta.
The researchers found that curcumin-treated macrophages of three of the six AD patients significantly increased ingestion of amyloid beta. The improved curcumin-treated macrophages were from younger AD participants with less dementia. Findings also revealed that the healthy participants' cells showed no change after curcumin treatment.
"Immunomodulation of the innate immune system by curcuminoids might be a safe approach to immune clearance of amyloidosis in AD brain," the study authors conclude.
REFERENCES:
1. Zhang L et al. Curcuminoids enhance amyloid-beta uptake by macrophages of Alzheimer's disease patients. J Alzheimers Dis. 2006 Sep;10(1):1-7.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on January 28, 2007 03:44 PM
