Good news! Oral dipeptides are expected to enter the brain to treat Alzheimer's disease!

July 26, 2020 /PRNewswire- by researchers at Kyushu University in Japan has reported in a study that could give literal meaning to the term "food for thought" (food for thought), a protein fragment that enters the brain after ingestion, reducing memory degradation in mice that mimic Alzheimer's disease, published in the journal Food.
this memory-affecting molecule is obtained by breaking down proteins in soybeans, which are classified as dipeptides because they contain only two protein components called amino acids.
the dipeptides used in the study, called Tyr-Pro, which are made up of tyrosine and proline, and are the only known peptides that can completely go from the stomach of mice to the brain.
"In addition to being broken down during digestion, another challenge for peptides to enter the brain from the blood is to cross a highly selective barrier."
," said Toshiro Matsui, a professor at Kyushu University's School of Agriculture. "Although our previous study is the first to find that a dipeptide can do this process, our new study now shows that it can actually affect the memory of mice,"
.
" photo source: William J. Potscavage Jr., who worked with researchers at the University of Fukuoka to explore its effects by feeding mice a dipeptide before and after injecting them with a chemical that mimics Alzheimer's disease by impairing memory function.
in a test that assessed short-term memory, the researchers found that impaired mice that had taken dipeptides in the past two weeks performed better than those who did not, comparing the tendency of mice to explore different arms in a simple maze.
found the same trend in long-term memory tests on mice.
these tests were designed to measure how long mice were able to avoid minor electric shocks in dark areas.
While there are other reports that certain peptides can reduce the decline of brain function, this is the first case of evidence that peptides can reach the brain completely. "We also need to do research to see if these benefits can be transferred to humans, but we hope this is a step in functional foods that could be used in the future to prevent memory degradation and even improve memory," said
Matsui.
" () References: Mitsuru Tanaka et al, Brain-Transportable Soy dibu, Tyr-Pro, attenuates amyloid beta 25-35-induced visiony y in mice, npj Science of Food (2020).
DOI: 10.1038/s41538-020-0067-3.