Scientists: Alzheimer's disease can cause liver problems
Abnormalities in the functioning of liver cells can trigger the development of Alzheimer's disease. This conclusion was made by Australian neurophysiologists after experiments on mice. An article with the results of their research was published in the journal PLOS Biology .
“We received the first evidence that a high level of gene activity in liver cells associated with the production of beta-amyloid leads to the development of disturbances in the functioning of the circulatory system of the brain, mass cell death and atrophy. This suggests that the liver, not the brain, is the original source of this protein debris, ”the scientists note.
Biologists believe that the main symptom and possible cause of the development of Alzheimer's disease is the accumulation of scraps of APP (beta-amyloid) protein inside the brain cells. At the same time, the concentration of damaged molecules of another substance – tau protein – increases in the brain cells. A group of Australian neuroscientists led by Curtin University Bentley professor John Mamo uncovered an unexpected source of these protein tangles in mice. Scientists raised a new breed of rodent whose liver cells possessed a human version of the gene that encodes the APP protein. Over the next year and a half, researchers monitored the health of the mice and their behavior.
As it turned out, the tangles of beta-amyloid, which accumulated in the circulatory system of rodents, including the brain, produced liver cells. This led to significant disturbances in the work of blood vessels. Protein debris penetrated the inner tissues of the nervous system. The structure of the brain and the behavior of the mice changed accordingly.
According to scientists, the results obtained support the hypothesis that peripheral sources of beta-amyloid may play a key role in triggering Alzheimer's disease and in the development of all its symptoms. Professor Mamo and his colleagues will continue their research to see if this process can be stopped or slowed down by acting on the liver with medication or diet.
