{"id":1742242,"date":"2022-11-17T08:07:45","date_gmt":"2022-11-17T13:07:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1742242"},"modified":"2022-11-17T10:47:59","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T15:47:59","slug":"scientists-say-alzheimers-is-an-autoimmune-disease-not-result-of-amyloid-plaques","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scientists-say-alzheimers-is-an-autoimmune-disease-not-result-of-amyloid-plaques\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Say Alzheimer\u2019s Is an Autoimmune Disease, Not Result of Amyloid Plaques"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fscientists-say-alzheimers-is-an-autoimmune-disease-not-result-of-amyloid-plaques%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1742242&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><span>Not long ago, some Canadian scientists clearly put forward a different <\/span><span>explanation<\/span><span> for the cause of Alzheimer\u2019s disease\u2014they suggested that Alzheimer\u2019s may be an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/trc2.12283\"><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-autoimmune-disease\">autoimmune disease<\/a><\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Alzheimer\u2019s May Be an Autoimmune Disease<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span>According to<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/dementia\"><span>statistics<\/span><\/a><span> from the World Health Organization (WHO), there are about 50 million dementia patients in the world, with 10 million new cases every year; it means that about one person is diagnosed every three seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Over the years, the \u201camyloid hypothesis\u201d has been widely accepted among various theories of the cause of Alzheimer\u2019s disease, but it has also been controversial as some phenomena in patients with Alzheimer\u2019s do not fit the hypothesis.<\/span> <span>For example, people with amyloid plaques in their brains may not have Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/span> <span>Besides, there are still many<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/drugs\/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers\/aducanumab-marketed-aduhelm-information\"><span>uncertainties<\/span><\/a><span> about the clinical benefit of drugs targeting the elimination of amyloid beta.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Recently, Canadian scientists published a post saying that the amyloid beta found in the brains of Alzheimer\u2019s patients is actually a substance released by the body\u2019s immune response.<\/span> <span>They further speculate that Alzheimer\u2019s is an autoimmune disease centered on the brain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Autoimmune diseases refer to diseases caused by the body\u2019s own immune system attacking the body. For instance, inflammations like arthritis and neuritis are autoimmune diseases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The study looked at amyloid beta as a molecule normally found in the brain, that is, part of the brain\u2019s immune system, rather than an abnormal protein.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Amyloid beta is a product of an integrated immune response that occurs in the brain when there is trauma or the presence of bacteria in it.<\/span> <span>The researchers also emphasized that stimulating events such as infection, trauma, ischemia, air pollution, and depression can trigger the body\u2019s immune response, causing the secretion of amyloid beta.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Besides, in vitro experiments in the study showed that amyloid beta, as an antimicrobial peptide secreted by cells, also has immunomodulatory and antimicrobial properties.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>However, when amyloid beta\u2019s immunomodulatory and antibacterial properties mistakenly attack \u201cself\u201d neurons, it leads to changes in its membrane potential.<\/span> <span>The amyloid beta will enter neurons through the cell membrane and cause neuronal necrosis, which will trigger a series of chain reactions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As neurons disintegrate after necrosis, the necrotic neuronal breakdown products diffuse to adjacent neurons, eliciting the further release of amyloid beta\u2014<\/span><span>everything keeps collapsing like dominoes and develops into a chronic self-perpetuating autoimmune cycle that eventually leads to Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The study also emphasizes that it is the necrotic neuronal breakdown products that elicit the release of amyloid beta and that the natural process of neuronal apoptosis does not significantly promote the release of this substance.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Other Evidence<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span>In addition to having neurotoxic properties, amyloid beta was considered in this study as an antimicrobial peptide secreted by the human body.<\/span> <span>The researchers believe that when the human body is stimulated, it will mount an immune response and secrete amyloid beta to fight external challenges, as in vitro experiments have shown that amyloid beta also has antiviral and antibacterial functions, which also happen to be the basic properties of antimicrobial peptides secreted by the human body.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In experiments, amyloid beta was shown to be effective against the herpes simplex virus, as well as being able to kill and break down a variety of bacteria, including <\/span><i><span>E. coli<\/span><\/i><span>, <\/span><i><span>S. aureus<\/span><\/i><span>, <\/span><i><span>S. marcescens, and K. pneumonia.<\/span><\/i> <span>The researchers believe that these experimental results support the view that Alzheimer\u2019s is an autoimmune disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>There are many potential causes of Alzheimer\u2019s and its clinical manifestations are also very complex.<\/span> <span>However, t<\/span><span>h<\/span><span>ere are other clues in related research that point to Alzheimer\u2019s being an autoimmune disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A 1993<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.8323582?keytype2=tf_ipsecsha&#038;ijkey=037b5e67d6392edabb0bbdfc59d2513a4a21206b\"><span>article<\/span><\/a><span> in the Science journal suggested that Alzheimer\u2019s may be caused by problems with the immune system, as a small trial showed that an anti-inflammatory drug could slow down Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A 2005<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/15617848\/\"><span>study<\/span><\/a><span> reported abnormal levels of immunoglobulins in the brains of Alzheimer\u2019s patients and, more importantly,<\/span> <span>antibodies from blood were also found in neuronal pathology and apoptosis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>According to the<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25100747\/\"><span>Alzheimer\u2019s Association<\/span><\/a><span> report, the risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s for a woman at age 65 is approximately 1 in 6, while the risk for a man is nearly 1 in 11 (i.e. women are 1.8 times more likely to develop Alzheimer\u2019s than men), and the incidence of some immune diseases is different in different gender groups.<\/span> <span>In 2014, some researchers suggested based on this fact that Alzheimer\u2019s is likely to be an autoimmune disease and proposed the idea of treating it with anti-inflammatory drugs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In addition, a<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jalm\/article\/6\/3\/588\/6124905\"><span>study<\/span><\/a><span> confirmed that the blood-brain barrier in patients with Alzheimer\u2019s is damaged, and the compromised blood-brain barrier may provide greater access for autoantibodies to invade brain tissues.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Tryptophan Metabolites May Serve as a Treatment for Alzheimer\u2019s Disease<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/alzheimers-might-not-be-primarily-a-brain-disease-a-new-theory-suggests-its-an-autoimmune-condition-189047\"><span>Researchers<\/span><\/a><span> believe that if Alzheimer\u2019s is indeed an autoimmune disease, it can be treated and intervened similarly to other autoimmune diseases by using endogenous immunomodulators.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s worth noting, however, that the study\u2019s director, Donald Weaver, a professor of chemistry at the University of Toronto and director of the Krembil Research Institute, told The Epoch Times that<\/span> <span>\u201cAlzheimer\u2019s may be an autoimmune disease, but it does not mean that drugs used to treat other autoimmune diseases (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis) will work against this disease. This is because the brain is different and will require specially designed and developed new drugs to target autoimmunity within the brain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Weaver further stated that the focus of his team\u2019s work will be \u201cto devise new therapeutics routes based on the novel theory that Alzheimer\u2019s is an autoimmune disease\u201d and that their goal is to \u201cidentify a chemical which normally occurs in the human brain and to use this as a starting point in the design of new drugs for Alzheimer\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Studies have found that certain metabolites of tryptophan have anti-amyloid beta aggregation activity.<\/span> <span>Therefore, small-molecule analogs of tryptophan metabolites may be the development direction of new drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer\u2019s as an immune disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In addition to Weaver and his team\u2019s study, other clinical data in Alzheimer\u2019s disease patients have also shown multiple associations with tryptophan metabolism.<\/span> <span>For example, <\/span><span>with age<\/span><span>, the human serum tryptophan level will <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/BF03339794\"><span>decrease<\/span><\/a><span>, and the plasma tryptophan level of Alzheimer\u2019s patients will decrease;<\/span> <span>besides,<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s00213-002-1128-9\"><span>acute depletion of tryptophan<\/span><\/a><span> can lead to cognitive impairment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So, can a tryptophan-rich diet prevent or treat Alzheimer\u2019s disease?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Stephanie Zhang, a former research Scientist at The Memory Impairment and Neurodegenerative Dementia (MIND) Center at The University of Mississippi Medical Center,<\/span> <span>said in an interview with The Epoch Times that although this study focused on tryptophan metabolites, it cannot be directly deduced that a tryptophan-rich diet can affect Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>However, some scientists have also<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S1043661820316224\"><span>proposed<\/span><\/a><span> related treatment methods based on the communication pathway of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. For example, by enhancing the activity of specific gastrointestinal microbiota, the body can produce neuroactive tryptophan metabolites to intervene and treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-flora-zhao\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/default-user.png\" alt=\"Flora Zhao\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Flora Zhao is a health reporter for The Epoch Times. Have a tip? Email her at: flora.zhao@epochtimes.nyc<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-health\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/default-user.png\" alt=\"Health 1+1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Health 1+1 is the most authoritative Chinese medical and health information platform overseas. Every Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. EST on TV and online, the program covers the latest on the coronavirus, prevention, treatment, scientific research and policy, as well as cancer, chronic illness, emotional and spiritual health, immunity, health insurance, and other aspects to provide people with reliable and considerate care and help.<br \/>\nOnline: EpochTimes.com\/Health<br \/>\nTV: NTDTV.com\/live<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Not long ago, some Canadian scientists clearly put forward a different explanation for the cause of Alzheimer\u2019s disease\u2014they suggested that Alzheimer\u2019s may be an autoimmune disease. Alzheimer\u2019s May Be an<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1898939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1742242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1742242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1742242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1742242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1898939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1742242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1742242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1742242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}