Scientists have successfully conducted a phase 1 clinical trial of an oral treatment containing quercetin and dasatinib for patients with symptomatic and early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The research was published in the journal Nature Medicine.
During the aging process, cells lose their ability to function normally, but they do not die, they secrete various substances that disrupt the functioning of neighboring cells and stimulate inflammation. Senolytic molecules can get rid of these, but so far none have shown effectiveness in clinical trials.
The new study included five people aged 65 and older with early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. They received various courses of senolytic therapy for 12 weeks. During 11 visits, patients underwent physical examinations, tests, and the Montreal Cognitive Scale (MoCA) mental ability test.
Scientists confirmed that dasatinib entered the participants’ central nervous system. The twice-weekly treatment reduced neurofibrillary tangle accumulation in patients’ brains by 35%; This was associated with slowing cortical atrophy and improving cortical blood flow. The accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles is one of the most important symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Senolytic treatment was well tolerated with no serious side effects. Cognitive function and brain imaging were no different after treatment than at baseline, confirming the safety of the treatment. Further studies will help to more accurately evaluate the effectiveness of treatment and determine its optimal regimen.
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