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Scientists discover toxin which could lead to Alzheimer's breakthrough

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O.,M.S.
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Australian scientists have made an important discovery that could prove a breakthrough in Alzheimer's treatment.

For the first time they have found a toxin in the brain that causes Alzheimer's to get worse.

More than 130,000 Australians have Alzheimer's, and the figure is expected to blow out to nearly half a million in the next 50 years.

But after a 20-year search, and a collaborative effort, scientists from Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital, the University of New South Wales, Sydney University and Japan's Hokkaido University have found a nerve toxin that has a role in spreading the disease through the brain.

Professor Bruce Brew is the director of neurology at St Vincent's Hospital.

BRUCE BREW: It's an interesting evolution of science, I suppose, in a way. Nerve toxin has been shown to be important in HIV-related brain damage, and that goes back to the late 80s. And as a consequence of looking at that in more detail and working out which cells produce the toxin, the particular sort of immune cells, we then came to the conclusion that it would likely be important in other diseases where this particular sort of immune cell was present.

And one of those diseases was Alzheimer's disease.

PAULA KRUGER: The nerve toxin involved is quinolinic acid. It’s found naturally in the brain and helps clean up dead cells.

But this study has found that there are high levels of quinolinic acid in the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers, and that it plays a key role in the progression of the disease.

Some scientists say the discovery it is like finding the smoking gun of Alzheimer's disease.

But Professor Brew is keen to keep their research in perspective.

BRUCE BREW: It's not the cause of Alzheimer's disease. That must be very clear. But it's a known nerve toxin. We've found it now in real patients with Alzheimer's disease. I think it likely plays a significant role.

References

Smythe GA, Poljak A, Bustamante S, Braga O, Maxwell A, Grant R, Sachdev P. ECNI GC-MS analysis of picolinic and quinolinic acids and their amides in human plasma, CSF, and brain tissue. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2003;527:705-12.

Guillemin GJ, Williams KR, Smith DG, Smythe GA, Croitoru-Lamoury J, Brew BJ. Quinolinic acid in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2003;527:167-76.

Guillemin GJ, Brew BJ.Implications of the kynurenine pathway and quinolinic acid in Alzheimer's disease. Redox Rep. 2002;7(4):199-206.