Posted on 12/06/2021 9:09:08 PM PST by ConservativeMind
An oral, experimental medication that targets the bacteria that causes gum disease may offer a "new treatment paradigm" for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Results from the phase 2/3 GAIN trial of atuzaginstat, which targets the gum bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), suggest the pathogen is a "potential driver of AD."
Low-Grade Chronic Infection
Pg is associated with gum disease, gingivitis, and periodontal disease. Periodontal disease affects about 65 million Americans.
Evidence linking inflammation with AD is "consistent with the idea there's...a low-grade chronic infection that's causing this inflammatory response," Detke said.
He noted that 22 of the last 25 genetic risk factors identified for AD relate to immune system function.
Pg is different from other bacteria in that it gets inside cells and relies on proteins as an energy source instead of sugars or carbohydrates. The bacteria release proteases called gingipains that "chop up" proteins into fragments that provide the energy, said Detke.
Atuzaginstat is designed to stop damage caused by gingipain protease by cutting off the bacteria's food supply. Because Pg is inside cells and "can go dormant or develop resistance," it is extremely difficult to completely wipe it out with typical antibiotics, Detke noted.
A Causal Pathogen?
There were also correlations between Pg levels in saliva at 24 weeks and clinical outcomes at both 24 weeks and 48 weeks. "If Pg is causal, then change at 24 weeks might predict clinical impact at both timepoints and that's what we saw," with results being "pretty highly significant," said Detke.
"There are almost no other AD studies that have shown a correlation between a biomarker and clinical outcome," he noted.
Looking at bilateral hippocampal volume, the investigators also found the drug slowed atrophy — by 22% in the lower dose group and by 11% in the higher dose group.
(Excerpt) Read more at medscape.com ...
A bit of bleach in your water-pik once a week is what a dentist told me. Tastes like pool water.
And Colgate Total mouthwash, which also kills covid, btw.
Listerine and then rinse out your mouth with bottled water, so you can remoisten the mouth after the Listerine rinse,
The carnivore diet cured my gingivitis. No more bleeding gums when I use a toothpick, or brush or floss.
Possibly a dilute solution of poviodine might help instead of listerine? Could also use something containing xylitol. (Toothpaste?)
Anything that gets gingivitis under control is good, but the underlying issue that let the gingivitis bacteria gain acces to blood and other cells may still be there, and there’s no easy way to get rid of that issue and those bacteria—they are in your brain.
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