Treatment with antibiotics slows down the development of Alzheimer’s symptoms

In a new study by researchers from the USA has shown that long-slow-term treatment with antibiotics, the development of Alzheimer’s symptoms.

Incurable Disease

In Germany alone, approximately 1.2 million people have dementia, the majority of affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Worldwide, there are approximately 47 million people with dementia. Although the disease is not yet curable, however, in the early stages with medication to delay. And just recently, researchers reported that a light – and sound-therapy can slow Alzheimer’s. In a new study has shown that a long time can slow down treatment with antibiotics, the development of the disease.

Antibiotic treatment can help slow the growth of Amyloid Plaques

According to a message on the Portal “Medical News Today” have shown scientific studies that treatment with antibiotics affects the gut bacteria in mice is so strong that it slows the growth and development of Alzheimer’s disease, but only in male animals.

The at the University of Chicago conducted a study which showed how the long-term use of antibiotics can reduce inflammation and the growth of Amyloid can slow Plaques in male mice.

Amyloid Plaques are a characteristic for Alzheimer’s disease specifically. They interfere with the function of the brain cells and lead to the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers ‘ findings were published in the “Journal of Experimental Medicine”.

Gut bacteria have an influence on different diseases

As it is said in a communication to the team of researchers already known to the community in the gastro-intestinal tract bacteria living – the intestinal microbiome – a variety of diseases can affect.

“Recent findings suggest that intestinal bacteria can play an important role in various neurological diseases, including autism spectrum disorders, Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s,” said Sangram S. Sisodia, Director of the center for Molecular neurobiology at the University of Chicago.

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the formation of Amyloid Plaques and the activation of immune cells in the brain, called microglia, known.

These cells can help to eliminate the Amyloid Plaques, but activation may exacerbate the disease by causing Neuroinflammation (inflammation in the brain).

Alzheimer’s patients show changes in the intestinal microbiome, and Sisodia and colleagues had earlier reported that intestinal bacteria can affect the development of these symptoms in rodents.

Long-term treatment with antibiotics, the formation of Amyloid-limited-Plaques and decreased microglial activation in male, but not female mice.

“Although our published studies on the role of the gut multiple in the formation of Amyloid Plaques were convincing, they limited it to a single Mäusestamm“, Sisodia said.

No effect in female mice

In the new study, the researchers therefore investigated the effect of antibiotics on a different mouse model.

The long-term treatment with an antibiotic Cocktail to the formation of Amyloid Plaques was reduced again in male mice, but had no effect on female animals.

Treatment with Antibiotics seemed to change also the activation of microglia in male mice.

In order to prove that these improvements to the Alzheimer’s symptoms were caused by changes in the gut microbiome transplants, the researchers feces from untreated mice were in antibiotic-treated animals.

In this procedure, the intestinal microbiome restored and caused plaque to an increase in Amyloid-formation and the micro-glial cell activation.

Further Investigation

But why changes in the gut microbiome affect only male mice? Sisodia and colleagues discovered that long-term treatment with antibiotics, the gut bacteria of male and female mice changed in a different way.

The changes in the Microbiome of female mice led to the immune system, increased the production of several proinflammatory factors, which might influence the activation of microglia.

“Our study shows that antibiotic-mediated disruption of the intestinal multiple selective, gender-specific influences on the formation of amyloid plaques and the mikrogliale activity in the brain,” says Sisodia.

“We now want to investigate whether these results are due to changes in a particular Bakterientyp.” (ad)