A strong espresso coffee can do much more than just “wake us up” to start the day. According to research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, certain compounds contained in said coffee can block a pathological process that takes place in the brain and prepares the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Similar studies in recent times have found that coffee has a beneficial effect against various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, but without “illuminating” the exact mechanisms involved in the positive results. Characteristically, a study from Edith Cowan University had found that drinking more coffee offered positive effects on specific brain functions such as executive functions related to planning, self-control and attention, while slowing down the accumulation of the beta-amyloid protein in the brain, a key factor for the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Recent research from the University of Verona in Italy, led by Mariapina D’Onofrio, has shown through preliminary in vitro laboratory tests that compounds in espresso coffee can inhibit the accumulation of Tau protein (tau) in fibrils within the cytoplasm of neurons. (neurofibrillar aggregates) which, like the β-amyloid protein, are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. In healthy organisms, the Tau protein allows stabilization of brain structures.
The researchers essentially….made espresso from coffee beans sourced from various shops and proceeded to analyze their chemical composition using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a method used to identify, analyze and study the properties of various chemical compounds. They singled out the alkaloids caffeine and trigonelline and the flavonoids genistein and theobromine (a compound also found in chocolate), to proceed with the experimental procedure that involved incubating them together with a semi-functional form of the Tau protein for up to 40 hours.
It was observed that as the concentration of espresso extract, caffeine or genistein increased, the fibrils were smaller and did not form larger aggregates, with the full extract showing the most active effects. The shorter fibrils were shown to be non-toxic to the cells and did not act as a precursor for further aggregation. In other experiments, it was found that both caffeine and espresso extract could bind already formed Tau fibrils.
Although more studies are needed, the team says their preliminary in vitro findings could pave the way for finding or designing other bioactive compounds against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Source: ygeiamou.gr
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