Professor Cho Dong-kyu's research team published a paper in the Proceedings of the American Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
- 약학대학
- Hit3522
- 2020-01-06
A research team led by Professor Cho Dong-kyu has published a new study that can be applied to the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease by identifying the protein that inhibits the enzyme that produces amyloid beta, the cause of Alzheimer's disease, and the mechanism of natural substances that control it.
Amyloid beta, which causes Alzheimer's disease, is produced when an enzyme called BACE1 cuts into a protein called APP that exists in the cell membrane. BACE1-AS acts to stabilize BACE1 mRNA and increases the BACE1 expression. Both BACE1 and BACE1-AS have increased in brain tissue of Alzheimer's dementia patients.
The research team has identified a new mechanism of sulforaphane, which is high in broccoli, that directly inhibits the expression of BACE1 and BACE1-AS by activating the transcription factor called NRF2 through screening of plant-based physiological active compounds that can suppress gene expression in BACE1.
Professor Cho Dong-kyu said, "The results of this study identify NRF2 as a new carrier that inhibits the emergence of BACE1, which is increasing in Alzheimer's dementia. There is a new basis for various NRF2 activators such as sulforaphane to be developed as drugs to prevent and treat Alzheimer's dementia."