Alzheimer's is characterized by an aggregation of beta amyloid plaques that occur during the secondary protein structure folding in which misfolding occurs. The misfolding of proteins alters the intended functions of a cell and can lead to a lack in cell to cell communication and overall cell death leading to neurodegenerative diseases (d’Errico & Luehmann, 2020).
Newfound research from the University of Delaware has shown a promising future for potential groundbreaking research in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's through vitamin B12 consumption. The research team led by Professor Jennifer Tanis have been studying Alzheimer's prevention and its mechanisms through the use of C. elegans, a small transparent worm to do extensive experiments due to its simplistic nature. The mechanism through which the worms begin to show onset of Alzheimer's is during the first 36 hours after beta amyloid aggregation they become paralazyed (Lam et al., 2021). This is where the revelation occurred, the team realized one of the petri dishes still had wiggling worms past the 36 hour mark, leading the team into a whole new experiment to deduce why these worms were still wiggling while all the others had become paralyzed.
This discovery had the research team perplexed as they could not find the difference between the worms until, they zeroed in on the diet of the worms, they were both being fed E.coli but they were different strains. The strain of E.Coli that was feeding the wiggling worms had higher levels of vitamin B12 in comparison to its counterpart. This new information allowed for the scientists to experiment with vitamin B12 and found that when vitamin B12 was given to the worms that were vitamin B12 deficient, the onset of paralysis was significantly slower than without it. The team also uncovered an important variable with this new evidence, vitamin B12 would only function properly if the enzyme, methionine synthase was present, if it was not or if the worms were not vitamin B12 deficient, paralyzation occurred at the normal rate (Lam et al., 2021).
The results concluded from this experiment are significant in the field of Alzheimer's research because patients with a vitamin B12 deficiency and predisposed to Alzheimer's can be properly managed with preventative treatment to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. This study also opens the doors for many more studies to focus on the metabolism component and mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease.
References:
d‘Errico, P., & Meyer-Luehmann, M. (2020). Mechanisms of pathogenic tau and AΒ protein spreading in alzheimer’s disease. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2020.00265
Lam, A. B., Kervin, K., & Tanis, J. E. (2021). Vitamin B12 impacts amyloid beta-induced proteotoxicity by regulating the methionine/S-adenosylmethionine cycle. Cell Reports, 36(13), 109753. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109753
University of Delaware. (2021, September 29). Wiggling worms suggest link between vitamin B12 and Alzheimer's. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 2, 2021 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210929163805.html
Hi Alondra!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic to look into. Vitamins are vital to many aspects of metabolism, and it is interesting that B12 is the specific culprit in this sense, in which it can actually slow some symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Clinical vitamin B12 deficiency usually presents in 2 ways in humans: megaloblastic anaemia and the demyelination of neurons. The neurological changes can have consequences such as sensory disturbances (in lower limbs), abnormalities in stride, memory loss and disorientation, which is consistent with some symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (Shenkin, 2008). Definitely makes me want to have more protein in my diet-maybe a plate of eggs is what will stay off future Alzheimer’s development!
Shenkin, Alan. “Basics in Clinical Nutrition: Physiological Function and Deficiency States of
Vitamins.” e-SPEN, the European e-Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, vol. 3, no. 6, 2008, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclnm.2008.06.008.
I really enjoyed reading about how diet can affect Alzheimer's disease, so I decided to look into this further! Since you mentioned vitamin B12 as such an important factor in slowing the paralysis of worms, I wonder if other types of nutrients or bacteria have this same effect.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of literature on how not only diet, but how gut microbiome can affect this as well. The gastrointestinal tract is connected to the CNS by a series of pathways ranging from endocrine to intestinal (Shani 2021). Since the brain and the GI tract are so interconnected, it is not a surprise that we have found extensive evidence about how an imbalance in the microbiome can lead to a host of neurological disorders. Specifically the authors mentioned that the inflammation caused by this imbalance could be the potential culprit for these risks, the inflammatory cytokines can enter the bloodstream and reach the brain (Shani 2021).
In order to prevent this inflammation, researchers have recommended a probiotic supplement known as Lactobacillus sp. This strain of probiotics have shown to aid in gut health and neurological health, as well as decrease inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract (Shani 2021). I think this is another interesting way that we could be treating Alzheimers in the future, finding deficiencies in vitamins and gut microbiomes!
John, S. K., Chandrapragasam, V., & Dey, P. (2021). Impact of Gut Microbiome Lactobacillus spp. in Brain Function and its Medicament towards Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis. Journal of Pure & Applied Microbiology, 15(3), 1029–1041. https://doi-org.dml.regis.edu/10.22207/JPAM.15.3.02