Nasenspray-Medikament wirkt kognitivem Verfall/Hirnschädigung durch Alzheimer bei Mäusen entgegen, indem es das Gehirnenzym S-Acyltransferase hemmt. Es stoppte erfolgreich die Neurodegeneration, reduzierte die Symptome und verlängerte die Lebensdauer. Postmortale Gehirne von Menschen mit Alzheimer weisen einen Überschuss an S-Acyltransferase auf.

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

‘Inhibition of zDHHC7-driven protein S-palmitoylation prevents cognitive deficits in an experimental model of Alzheimer’s disease’ by Francesca Natale et al. was published in PNAS at 20:00 UK time on Monday 25 November 2024.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2402604121

Expert reactions: https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-study-in-mice-testing-nasal-treatment-for-alzheimers-disease/

From the linked article:

A nasal spray drug can counteract the cognitive decline and brain damage typical of Alzheimer’s disease.

A future treatment for Alzheimer disease may involve a nasal spray. Researchers at Università Cattolica and Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS have discovered that by inhibiting the brain enzyme S-acyltransferase (zDHHC) through a nasal-spray drug, they can counteract the cognitive decline and brain damage typical of the disease. The study has been led by Professor Claudio Grassi, Director of the Neuroscience Department, and Professor Salvatore Fusco, with the collaboration of the University of Catania.

The researchers observed that the post-mortem brains of Alzheimer patients contained an excess of S-acyltransferase, which could be a promising therapeutic target of new drugs. They also found that higher concentrations of this enzyme were associated with worse cognitive performance.

In experiments performed on genetically modified mice replicating Alzheimer’s disorder, researchers turned off zDHHC enzymes using an experimental nasal-spray drug called “2-bromopalmitate”. This approach successfully stopped neurodegeneration, reduced symptoms, and even extended the animals’ lifespan.

Damn, just a year too late. Rest easy, pops.