Pill Made From Coffee Grinds May Prevent Alzheimer's
Researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso discovered that a product derived from used coffee grounds protects brain cells from damage caused by neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. They found that Carbon Quantum Dots on caffeic acid (CACQDs) help neutralize harmful molecules called free radicals and prevent them from causing brain cell damage, as well as halting the buildup of amyloid plaques.
“Caffeic-acid based Carbon Quantum Dots have the potential to be transformative in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders,” said Jyotish Kumar, a doctoral student in the department of chemistry and biochemistry, who led the team of researchers, in a news release. The scientists said that CACQDs were effective if the neurodegenerative condition is triggered by factors such as obesity, age, and exposure to pesticides and other toxic environmental chemicals.
Kumar said that none of the current treatments resolves these diseases because they only help manage the symptoms. “Our aim is to find a cure by addressing the atomic and molecular underpinnings that drive these conditions,” he said.
The disorders share similar traits. These include elevated levels of free radicals — harmful molecules that are known to contribute to other diseases such as cancer, heart disease and vision loss — in the brain, and the aggregation of fragments of amyloid-forming proteins that can lead to plaques or fibrils in the brain.
The CACQDs were able to protect the brain across test tube experiments and the team of researchers theorizes that in humans, in the very early stages of a condition such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, a treatment based on CACQDs can be effective in preventing full-blown disease. Mahesh Narayan, a professor in the same department as Kumar, who oversaw the study, said, “It is critical to address these disorders before they reach the clinical stage. At that point, it is likely too late.”
Caffeic acid is a polyphenol ─ a plant-based compound that is a powerful antioxidant. It’s unique because it can cross the blood-brain barrier and work its effects on the cells inside the brain, said Narayan. The team extracted CACQDs from used coffee grounds, which is cheap and abundant, by “cooking” samples of coffee grounds at 200 degrees for four hours.
According to Study Finds, the research team is now seeking additional funding for further testing and hopes their findings could eventually lead to a simple pill for preventing most neurodegenerative disorders not caused by genetics.
