June 21, 2013. The June, 2013 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease published an article by Donald J. Graves and his associates at the University of California, Santa Barbara which describes how compounds in cinnamon reduce the aggregation of tau protein that occurs, along with amyloid-beta aggregation, in the brains of men and women with Alzheimer's disease. Tau protein is responsible for the assembly of microtubules within the cell that form its structure. When tau does not effectively bind to the microtubules, it clumps together, forming tangled fibers. Previous research conducted by Dr Graves' team uncovered an ability of cinnamon extract to inhibit tau aggregation and dissociate tangles in brain tissue derived from Alzheimer's disease patients.
The current study revealed that the compounds cinnamaldehyde and the oxidized form of epicatechin derived from cinnamon extract inhibited tau aggregation in vitro by protecting the protein from oxidative stress. "Take, for example, sunburn, a form of oxidative damage," explained Dr Graves, who is an adjunct professor at the UC Santa Barbara's Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. "If you wore a hat, you could protect your face and head from the oxidation. In a sense this cinnamaldehyde is like a cap."
"Since tau is vulnerable to oxidative stress, this study then asks whether Alzheimer's disease could benefit from cinnamon, especially looking at the potential of small compounds," added lead author Roshni C. George. "Cell membranes that are oxidized also produce reactive derivatives, such as Acrolein, that can damage the cysteines. Epicatechin also sequesters those byproducts."
"Wouldn't it be interesting if a small molecule from a spice could help?" Dr Graves asked. However, he cautioned that they are "still a long way from knowing whether this will work in human beings."
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2013_06.htm#Cinnamon-compounds-may-protect-against-tau-protein-aggregation-in-Alzheimers-disease
