Stopping C9orf72-linked dementia in mutant mice with antibiotic rifampicin (Cheap drug “significantly improved…cognitive function and memory” of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) & Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), (also Alzheimer's and Lewy Bodies))

Medical Xpress / Osaka Metropolitan University / Biomedicines ^ | May 23, 2022 | Yukari Hatanaka et al

[ConservativeMind]

What did Stephen Hawking and Mao Zedong have in common? They both suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), for which a cure remains elusive. Scientists took an important step toward the prevention of ALS and another brain disorder called Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) with their research on the effects of the antibiotic rifampicin on genetically modified mice.

"The primary cause of FTD and ALS is a hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE) in non-coding regions of the C9orf72 gene," said Professor Takami Tomiyama. This mutation causes neurodegeneration through loss-of-function or gain-of-toxic-function mutations.

Rifampicin is an antibiotic that slows bacterial RNA production; it is usually administered in conjunction with other antibiotics. By examining the influence of rifampicin on the formation of RNA foci, DPRs, and TDP-43 inclusions, the research team determined its potential for preventing FTD and ALS. They nasally administered rifampicin to mice with the human C9orf72 gene. The team then evaluated the mice's cognitive function through observing their ability to escape a maze, before examining their brain tissue.

Rifampicin treatment significantly improves the cognitive function and memory of C9orf72-transgenic mice.

The findings show that intranasal rifampicin treatment significantly improved the mice's cognitive function and memory. It substantially inhibited the formation of cytoplasmic inclusions composed of protein aggregates in brain tissue. Rifampicin also weakened the formation of RNA foci containing G-quadruplex. Furthermore, synapse loss, neuronal loss, and microglial activation were also attenuated by rifampicin treatment.

This study is the latest in a series of the researchers' articles on the impact of rifampicin in neurological disorder prevention. "We have previously shown in model mice that nasal administration of rifampicin is effective against dementia such as Alzheimer's disease, tau-related FTD, and dementia with Lewy bodies," concluded Professor Tomiyama.

[ConservativeMind]

This actually seems to be an incredible opportunity for those with these conditions. The drug is cheap and readily available.

It is a pain to edit a page’s HTML on a smartphone.

[ConservativeMind]

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[ptsal]

Bkmk

[dadfly]

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[C210N]

Seeing ‘dementia’ in the title, I only came to this thread because I thought it was about bidEn.

[DocRock]

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[sauropod]

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[nagant]

It substantially inhibited the formation of cytoplasmic inclusions composed of protein aggregates in brain tissue.
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Another protease inhibitor?

[Georgia Girl 2]

I’m calling my sister today about this as my BIL has Lewey Body and its getting advanced.