ALZHEIMER’S: NEW METHOD TO PROTECT BRAIN CELLS FROM
NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES FOUND
Researchers at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, provides
evidence that one of the only naturally occurring fatty acids in the
brain that has the ability to interact with the receptors originally
identified as the targets of THC (the psychoactive component of
marijuana) can help to protect brain cells from neurodegenerative
diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Published in the Journal
of Biological Chemistry, the research focuses on the cellular and
molecular mechanisms of inflammation, specifically the role these
relatively recently discovered endogenous cannabinoids can play in
the control of COX-2 and other cyclooxygenases. COX-2 is a key
player in neuroinflammation and has been implicated in the
development of neurodegenerative diseases and worsening of damage
from such insults as traumatic brain injury and stroke. The
researchers show that endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG)
functions as an endogenous COX-2 inhibitor, turning off the
production of COX-2 which normally goes into overdrive in response
to pro-inflammatory and certain types of toxic stimuli, resulting in
the injury or death of brain cells. The researchers also revealed
the specific signaling pathways that regulate the 2-AG suppression
of COX-2. The findings provide a basis for opening up new
therapeutic approaches to protect neurons from inflammation and
toxicity-induced neurodegeneration, they said.
