The team at the University of Copenhagen claims that a natural metabolite called urolithin A, found in pomegranates, aids in the removal of damaged brain cells. To investigate this, researchers modeled Alzheimer’s disease (AD) cells in laboratory mice.
Previous Research Laid the Groundwork for New Discoveries
Earlier, the same team discovered that a form of vitamin B3 known as nicotinamide riboside (NR) helps eliminate damaged mitochondria from the brain.
“Many patients with neurodegenerative diseases experience mitochondrial dysfunction, also known as mitophagy. This means that the brain struggles to remove weak mitochondria, which then accumulate and affect brain function,” explained Wilhelm Bohr, a biochemist at the University of Copenhagen and the lead author of the study. He added that stimulating the process of mitophagy to remove weak mitochondria could yield very positive results.
Restoring the function of these “cerebral garbage collectors” means that some of the brain waste associated with Alzheimer’s disease, which ultimately contributes to the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, can be cleared away.
In their previous study, scientists supplied mice with modeled Alzheimer’s disease with NR as a supplement, which reduced protein tangles and DNA damage in the brain. This was achieved through increased production of a crucial metabolic coenzyme known as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide.
What Scientists Have Discovered Now
Now, Bohr and his colleagues have found that urolithin A, a compound present in pomegranates, provides a similar boost to the brain in its fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers determined that mice with modeled Alzheimer’s, which were treated with urolithin A for an extended period, showed improved learning abilities, memory, and sense of smell.
The compound affected the protein cathepsin Z, which is overactive in the brains of AD patients and plays a significant role in inflammation. Treatment with urolithin A reduced the production of this protein to levels observed in healthy brains. This also restored certain cellular processes that facilitate the breakdown of biological waste, as reported by Science Alert.
It was also found that treatment with urolithin A modulates immune responses and other physiological processes characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
Urolithin A is not necessarily a cure for AD, the scientists noted. However, the research showed that this natural metabolite helps the body clear away growing piles of molecular waste and potentially slows the progression of the disease.
The results of the study were published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.