By Orna Cohen with Staff, ANN
A team of Tel Aviv University researchers, headed by Prof. Michael Ovadia, has succeeded in extracting a substance from cinnamon capable of inhibiting the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The substance restrains the formation of toxic β-amyloid polypeptide oligomers, and promotes the disassembling of existing β-amyloid fibrils related to Alzheimer’s that accumulate in the brain and kill neurons.
Ovadia was inspired to study the medical properties of cinnamon from a biblical passage. He tells the story of participating as a child in Israel’s National Bible Quiz for Youth. One of the questions related to the composition of the holy ointment High Priests (Kohanim) used prior to making animal sacrifices – a preparation intended to protect them from infectious agents.
“It occurred to me there must have been good reason to provide the Kohanim with protection against severe infection that can result from contact with animals and the blood pooling around them. Because most of the components of the anointing oil are unknown to us today (“sweet calamus,” for instance), I focused on cinnamon.”
Ovadia, who had already gained recognition for his work with snake venoms, first found that an extract from the bark of the cinnamon plant possesses the ability to inhibit the infectivity of “enveloped” viruses, such as influenza, herpes, HIV, and other viruses.
The ability of cinnamon to inhibit the development of Alzheimer’s surfaced during a two-part mouse-model study under Ovidia’s direction.
First, the in vitro stage demonstrated the ability of the cinnamon-bark extract to inhibit formation of the toxic intermediate β-amyloid oligomers and of Aβ fibrils. Researchers also discovered that the extract was able to disassemble large intermediate oligomers and Aβ fibrils that had already formed. Thus, the extract may correct damage already present. It could therefore eventually be used prophylactically against Alzheimer’s and might be useful in restoring functions impaired by the accumulation of oligomers and/or fibrils.
In the second stage researchers tested the substance on experimental animals commonly used in Alzheimer’s research − fruit flies genetically altered to produce the Aβ peptide, and transgenic mice with five mutations that lead to the rapid development of Alzeimer’s disease.
In both models Alzheimer’s disease shortened the affected animals’ lifespans and caused either a reduction in their normal activity, or induced aggressive behavior. When the cinnamon extract was added to the flies’ food, or the drinking water of the mice, it inhibited the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The treated animals resembled healthy members of their species, both behaviorally and in terms of longevity.
A problem remains with the quantity of cinnamon one would need to consume to benefit from its anti-Alzheimer’s properties. “Raw cinnamon also contains substances harmful to the liver,” says Ovadia. “Whereas one may consume six to ten grams per day without damaging the liver, to reap the substance’s medicinal benefits, one would have to consume tens of grams per day at least, which starts to become dangerous. For this reason we developed a means of extracting the active substance from the cinnamon and separating it from the toxic substances.”
Tel Aviv University has submitted a patent application for the substance and its activity, via its technology transfer company, Ramot. The research findings appear in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.
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