DESIGNER peptides could one day be used to slow the formation of amyloid
plaques that are thought to be behind Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
Claudio Soto and his colleagues at New York University Medical Center
designed small peptides, each containing just five amino acids, which they hoped
would break up beta sheets鈥攖he protein structures in amyloid plaques. When
they injected the peptides into rats鈥� brains, the molecules inhibited the
formation of the plaques.
The researchers say in this month鈥檚 Nature Medicine (vol 4, p 822) that the
peptides also slowed the rate of neuron death due to plaque formation in the
test tube. Soto suspects that they stabilise the normal form of amyloid beta
protein, which does not form insoluble plaques. He also believes the peptides
cause the abnormal form to revert to the normal configuration.
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The team concludes that its peptides have the potential to become an
effective treatment to slow or even prevent Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. 鈥淭his is
completely new,鈥� says Soto. 鈥淪o far there are no drugs which can directly stop
the amyloid plaques from forming. Existing drugs only treat the symptoms.鈥�