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Antioxidant Tested to Treat AIDS Dimentia

Posted on: Friday, 26 May 2006, 12:00 CDT

Researchers said Friday a newly discovered antioxidant shows promise in preventing AIDS dementia.

The antioxidant is N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA), and researchers wanted to test whether it could prevent cell death and reverse oxidative stress, a marker of a range of different irreversible neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

The scientists used an artificial model of a rat's blood-brain barrier to test their theory.

We found NACA, this new compound, prevented cell death, said Nuran Ercal, professor of chemistry at UMR and adjunct associate professor of internal medicine at Saint Louis University.

Therefore, we determined that while treating AIDS patients, perhaps we should include antioxidants to prevent oxidative stress or prevent possible dementia.

The researchers said they are now studying the brain and liver samples from transgenic rats to further test the effects of this protein.

A third of the adults and half of the children with AIDS develop HIV-1-associated dementia, Ercal said. Cognitive impairment, postural disorders and tremors are among the most common symptoms encountered in patients suffering from AIDS dementia complex.

Source: United Press International

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