Chinese scientists found new compounds protecting mitochondria for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Bean like mitochondria are the source of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the direct source of energy for all life activities in the organism When mitochondria are damaged, nervous system diseases deteriorate rapidly, leading to irreversible neurological damage, such as stroke and Parkinson's disease In view of the role of mitochondrial damage in several common and devastating neurodegenerative diseases, it is important to develop drugs to protect mitochondria Recently, the relevant team of Beijing Institute of life sciences published a research work on the international academic journal PNAs, entitled "a small molecular protections mitochondrial integrity by inhibiting mTOR activity" The team worked with research teams such as Tsinghua University to isolate a small molecule compound R6, which can not only prevent cell apoptosis, but also protect the integrity and function of mitochondria The team found that compound R6 blocked apoptosis by inhibiting the mTOR signaling pathway The results of the study showed that providing compound R6 to rats with cerebral ischemia could produce dose-dependent neuroprotective effect This means that the more compound R6 is provided, the better the brain's protection from nerve damage Moreover, compound R6 can also pass through the blood-brain barrier and produce anti apoptosis effect So far, the research has been carried out in experimental animals, and it is expected to be extended to human clinical trials Compound R6 provides a potential way to reduce the damage to organelles and save severely damaged neurons