Posted on 08/11/2022 9:05:48 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
A drug typically used to treat enlarged prostates and high blood pressure has shown promise as a potential new therapy for motor neuron disease (MND)—also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)—according to a new study.
MND is a group of rare diseases that destroy nerve cells known as motor neurons, causing patients to slowly lose function of their muscles.
In studies using zebrafish, mice and stem cell models, experts have demonstrated that the drug terazosin protects against the death of motor neurons by increasing their energy production.
Researchers say the drug could help to slow the progression of a disease that affects around 5,000 adults in the UK. The average life expectancy is three years from the onset of symptoms.
Researchers targeted the energy production of motor neurons as a potential therapeutic strategy for treating MND.
Using terazosin, which has previously been shown to be effective at increasing energy production in models of stroke and Parkinson's disease, the team wanted to determine if this drug could also protect motor neurons from MND.
They focused on an enzyme—an active molecule in the cells—involved in energy production called PGK1.
Zebrafish models of MND showed that either genetically increasing the amount of PGK1 in the zebrafish or treating them with terazosin to increase PGK1's activity improved the growth of motor neurons.
Terazosin also protected motor neurons in a mouse model of MND, improving survival and delaying the progression of paralysis.
The team also grew motor neurons in a dish and demonstrated that terazosin protects these cells by increasing energy levels.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Note that a few antioxidant foods, such as blueberries, have also been shown to help grow neurons.
Had two friends die of Als. Terrible terrible disease. Both died young. One just recently. What a horrible way to go. Someone posted a vid on it, showing a man who kept marking awake gasping for air, over and over again. Totally frightened.
I sure hope they can use this terrible disease, or at least make it non lethal and manageable
Thanks.
BKMK
Do note mitochondria are responsible for our cells’ energy production. Aside from a genetic defect, mitochondrial functions can be helped by mitophagy (getting rid of dysfunctional mitochondria) and reducing inflammation.
Two recent supplements have been found to directly impact these mitochondrial issues. Urolithin A induces mitophagy to clear out bad mitochondria even from cells that are senescent. GlyNAC (equal parts amino acids glycine and cysteine (NAC)) allows glutathione to be again produced within cells and mitochondria, which brings down most intracellular inflammation. Either can bring back cells that had dysfunction, due to either issue.
An antioxidant/amino acid that greatly helps mitochondria from getting damaged is ergothioneine. We can't make it, but it is almost exclusively available from mushrooms, with oyster mushrooms particularly high in it. This antioxidant uses its own custom, pre-existing ion channel to slide into cells’ mitochondria. Our mitochondria are capable of regenerating this for over three weeks’ worth of use. In essence, our bodies were made to get ergothioneine into every individual cell.
Finally, another cellular-level antioxidant, SOD, is dependent on the amino acid taurine. Supplementing taurine has been shown to increase SOD over 20%.
I have previously posted studies on each of these.
But. But. But.
I thought the CDC and their ‘scientists’ said repurposing drugs did not work.
Interesting post, you obviously have more than a passing interest in such matters.
Might I ask what your field is?
I have some familiarity with ALS as I have designed FES and NMMS equipment that can be of assistance to sufferers... in a crude way, unfortunately...
Believe it or not, the entire realm of Information Security and Information Technology.
Sounds good to me, I also am a perpetual student of those fields :-)
Among my interests are cryptography, neuroinformatics, medicine, embedded systems, pattern recognition research..etc
I wish I was 20 again, the next 50 years will be exciting times for researchers in these areas...
We can’t be 20 again, but those items I listed in that post above reverse many aspects of aging, and even increase lifespan, with the Urolithin A and GlyNAC.
From “Antioxidants in Central Nervous System Diseases: Preclinical Promise and Translational Challenges:”
Very early work by Perry's group found that four different antioxidants (α-tocopherol, β-carotene, N-acetyl cysteine or ascorbic acid) partially protected C57-black mice against the acute neurotoxicity of MPTP. Subsequent work by the same group found that neither α-tocopherol nor β-carotene in massive doses offered any protection against MPTP in a primate (marmoset) model. Independent, but roughly contemporaneous, studies reported that α-tocopherol, ascorbate, dimethyl sulfoxide, cysteamine or sodium selenite offered no protection against MPTP in the mouse model. Thus, most studies investigating the canonical antioxidant vitamin E have been very negative with respect to observations of protective effects in the MPTP model.
Other antioxidants besides α-tocopherol have met with greater success in treating preclinical models of PD. Table 3 summarizes the various antioxidants studied for PD in the important animal studies/clinical trials. Among antioxidants previously discussed in this review, SOD-mimicking metalloporphyrins (AEOL11207, EUK-134, EUK-189) and epigallocatechin-gallate effectively antagonize MPTP dopaminergic toxicity in mice. The synthetic nitrone-based free radical trap α-phenyl-N-tert-butyl nitrone (PBN) reproducibly protects against MPTP, though notably it does so without diminishing the level of salicylate-trappable hydroxyl radicals generated through the MPTP paradigm.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2669703/
This is effectively saying only N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), green tea extract EGCG, and SOD-like antioxidants were found to help more than just a small amount against ALS.
The NAC would have likely helped make glutathione (we make more with glycine also added) and taurine could help make SOD. The EGCG is just icing on the cake, but it can bump up liver enzymes, unlike the amino acids.
It is, at least, interesting and promising. If I had such conditions, I'd be taking these (I have been taking them for a short while, regardless, without issue).
Lost an uncle to ALS. I am glad to see this
That is haunting and sad.
It looks like blueberries and spirulina were both found to help ALS:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101221101833.htm
it was haunting- my friend was dying of it at the time, and i ran across a video of it and kinda wish i hadn’t- seeing what my friend was going to have to go through-
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