Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2018
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease, betaine, vitamin B12, folate, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione (GSH), hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), total homocysteine (tHcy)
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1177/2155179017722280
Abstract
In the United States, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, accompanied by substantial economic and emotional costs. During 2015, more than 15 million family members who provided care to AD patients had an estimated total cost of 221 billion dollars. Recent studies have shown that elevated total plasma levels of homocysteine (tHcy), a condition known as hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), is a risk factor for AD. HHcy is associated with cognitive decline, brain atrophy, and dementia; enhances the vulnerability of neurons to oxidative injury; and damages the blood–brain barrier. Many therapeutic supplements containing vitamin B12 and folate have been studied to help decrease tHcy to a certain degree. However, a therapeutic cocktail approach with 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, methyl B12, betaine, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) have not been studied. This novel approach may help target multiple pathways simultaneously to decrease tHcy and its toxicity substantially.
Rights Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Cell Medicine, v. 10, p. 1-6
Scholar Commons Citation
Leon, Michael; Sawmiller, Darrell; Shytle, R. Douglas; and Tan, Jun, "Therapeutic Cocktail Approach for Treatment of Hyperhomocysteinemia in Alzheimer’s Disease" (2018). Neurosurgery and Brain Repair Faculty Publications. 18.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/nbr_facpub/18
