Tobacco-derived compound prevents memory loss in Alzheimer's disease mice (cotinine)

University of South Florida (USF Health) ^ | April 27, 2011 | Unknown

[decimon]

VA-USF study finds cotinine reduces the brain plaques associated with dementia

Tampa, FL (For immediate release) -- Cotinine, a compound derived from tobacco, reduced plaques associated with dementia and prevented memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, a study led by researchers at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System and the University of South Florida found.

The findings are reported online in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease in advance of print publication.

"We found a compound that protects neurons, prevents the progression of Alzheimer's disease pathology, enhances memory and has been shown to be safe," said Valentina Echeverria, PhD, a scientist at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System and an assistant professor of Molecular Medicine at USF Health. "It looks like cotinine acts on several aspects of Alzheimer's pathology in the mouse model. That, combined with the drug's good safety profile in humans, makes it a very attractive potential therapy for Alzheimer's disease."

While the current drugs for Alzheimer's may help delay the onset of symptoms, none halt or reverse the processes of Alzheimer's disease. In addition, existing drugs may have undesirable side effects.

Some epidemiological studies showed that people who smoke tend to have lower incidences of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Studies have widely attributed this apparently beneficial effect to nicotine, which has been reported to improve memory and reduce Alzheimer's-like plaques in mice. However, nicotine's harmful cardiovascular effects and addictive properties make the compound a less than ideal drug candidate for neurodegenerative diseases.

The Bay Pines VA/USF team decided to look at the effects of cotinine, the major byproduct of nicotine metabolism, in Alzheimer's disease mice. Cotinine is nontoxic and longer lasting than nicotine. Furthermore, its safety has already been demonstrated in human trials evaluating cotinine's potential to relieve tobacco withdrawal symptoms.

The researchers administered cotinine daily for five months to young adult (2-month-old) mice genetically altered to develop memory problems mimicking Alzheimer's disease as they aged. At the end of the five-month study, the Alzheimer's mice treated with cotinine performed better on tasks measuring their working memory and thinking skills than untreated Alzheimer's control mice. Long-term cotinine treatment appeared to provide the Alzheimer's mice complete protection from spatial memory impairment; their performance in this area of testing was identical to that of normal mice without dementia.

The brains of Alzheimer's mice treated with cotinine showed a 26-percent reduction in deposits of amyloid plaques, which are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Cotinine also inhibited the accumulation of the amyloid peptide oligomers – a predecessor of senile plaques – in the brains of these mice. Furthermore, the researchers discovered that cotinine stimulated the signaling factor Akt, which promotes the survival of neurons and enhances attention and memory.

Senile plaques likely had not yet formed or were just beginning to accumulate in the brains of the young adult mice when long-term cotinine treatment was started. The researchers suggest that "cotinine may be useful in preventing cognitive deterioration when administered to individuals not yet exhibiting Alzheimer's disease cognitive impairment or those with mild cognitive impairment at early stages of the disease."

The researchers are seeking additional support for a pilot clinical trial to investigate cotinine's effectiveness in preventing progression to Alzheimer's dementia in patients with mild cognitive impairment, Echeverria said.

The VA-USF team is also studying the potential of the tobacco-derived compound to relieve fear-induced anxiety and help blunt traumatic memories in mouse models of post-traumatic stress disorder.

###

Study co-authors included researchers from the University of Miami, the University of Manchester (UK), Boston College, and Saitama Medical Center and Saitama Medical University (Japan). The study was supported in part by awards from the Florida Department of Health's James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program, the Alzheimer's Association and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Publication citation:

"Cotinine Reduces Amyloid-β Aggregation and Improves Memory in Alzheimer's Disease Mice," Valentina Echeverria, Ross Zeitlin, Sarah Burgess, Sagar Patel, Arghya Barman, Garima Thakur, Magorzota Mamcarz, Li Wang, David B. Sattelle, Daniel A. Kirschner, Takashi Mori, Roger M. LeBlanc, Rajeev Prabhakar and Gary W. Arendash, Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 24 (4) 2011. DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2011-102136, IOS Press.

- About USF Health -

USF Health (www.health.usf.edu) is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida's colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician's Group. Ranked 34th in federal research expenditures for public universities by the National Science Foundation, the University of South Florida is a high impact global research university.

- About the VA Research and Development Program -

For more than 65 years, the Veterans Affairs (VA) Research and Development program has been improving veterans' lives through innovation and discovery. The VA Research program, unique in that it is the only research program focused wholly on conducting groundbreaking research to meet the full spectrum of veterans' medical needs, benefits from being part of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA)—an integrated, national health care system with a state-of-the-art electronic health record. Through dynamic combination, the VA Research program is able to promote the quick translation of research findings into advancements in health care for veterans and all Americans.

- About the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (JAD) -

The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (http://www.j-alz.com) is an international multidisciplinary journal to facilitate progress in understanding the etiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, genetics, behavior, treatment and psychology of Alzheimer's disease. The journal publishes research reports, reviews, short communications, book reviews, and letters-to-the-editor. Groundbreaking research that has appeared in the journal includes novel therapeutic targets, mechanisms of disease and clinical trial outcomes. The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease has an Impact Factor of 3.82 according to Thomson Reuters' 2010 edition of Journal Citation Reports. It is ranked #19 on the Index Copernicus Top 100 Journal List. The Journal is published by IOS Press (www.iospress.com).

[decimon]

Not to be confused with cotinin.

Cotinine Systematic (IUPAC) name (5S)-1-methyl-5-(3-pyridyl)pyrrolidin-2-one Identifiers CAS number 486-56-6 ATC code None PubChem CID 854019 ChemSpider 746405 Yes UNII K5161X06LL Yes ChEMBL CHEMBL578211 Yes

Cotinine is an alkaloid found in tobacco and is also a metabolite of nicotine.[1][2] The word "cotinine" is an anagram of "nicotine". Cotinine is used as a biomarker for exposure to tobacco smoke and has also been sold as an antidepressant under the brand name Scotine.[1]

Similarly to nicotine, cotinine binds to, activates, and desensitizes neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, though at much lower potency in comparison.[2][3][4][5] It has demonstrated nootropic and antipsychotic-like effects in scientific research.[6][7]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotinine

[decimon]

Ping

[BipolarBob]

Reasons to smoke
(1)Prevent Alzheimer’s disease
(2)Lose weight
(3)Financial adviser showed my retirement money running out before the actuarial table showed my death. If I can’t increase one, I have to decrease the other.

[aimhigh]

Unless they can create a product to be patented, this cure won’t see the light of day.

[KeyLargo]

Interesting.

This back and forth crap with various food stuffs and tobacco drive people nuts. Salt is good, Salt is bad, coffee is good, coffee is bad, etc. I think a lot of it is driven by the government nany state.

[decimon]

Unless they can create a product to be patented, this cure won’t see the light of day.

It's already being used as an antidepressant.

[deweyfrank]

I finally quit chewing tobacco after 30 years. put on 30 lbs. and now I can’t remember s**t.

[Dubya-M-Dees]

And that makes this incredibly awesome. That means that the testing can be fast-tracked since it’s already been tested to treat something else.. Phase 4 studies go very quickly!! I’m excited about this since I work in the research industry, and my mother has Alzheimers. Our company did the work to get Aricept to market, which makes me smile when I know that what I do for a living has made a difference. It really hits home with the difference is personal.

[decimon]

Best wishes for your mom.

Looks like cotinine is proved harmless enough. Hope they get it out there and it works.

[DJ MacWoW]

Take FR Across The Finish Line

Donate Monthly

[opus86]

Woo-hoo! Feels like a night to break out the pipe and enjoy a good smoke...And maybe some good scotch as well...