Rosemary and sage contain a substance that can reverse Alzheimer's disease (4 photos)

A compound found in rosemary and sage has been developed into a breakthrough drug that could slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Carnosic acid is an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties found in both herbs. A team from the Scripps Research Institute in California has discovered a way to use the acid to reduce inflammation in the brain, a key trigger for the disease.





The team's drug, based on carnosic acid, known as diAcCA, not only reduces inflammation, but also restores normal connections between nerve cells in the brain, which helps improve learning and memory.

Since carnosic acid has already received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, there is hope that clinical trials of the new treatment will be conducted soon.



Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, known for its impact on the mind and memory of older people.

A new study published in the journal Antioxidants found that diAcCA is only activated by inflammation. This means that the drug will only act on areas of the brain that are affected by inflammation. This approach will avoid potential side effects that often occur with treatments that affect healthy tissue.





Until now, carnosic acid could not find wide application as a medicine or food supplement, as it is too unstable to be used in its pure form. The Scripps team created a derivative that can reach the intestines, where it is converted back to carnosic acid and absorbed into the blood.

Professor Stuart Lipton noted that the experimental mice absorbed 20% more carnosic acid in this way than if they had taken it in its pure form. Thanks to this, more of the drug crossed the blood-brain barrier and reached the foci of inflammation in the brain.

"We did a number of different memory tests, and they all showed improvement with this drug," Lipton said. "Not only did it slow down the memory loss, it almost completely restored it."



The experiment involved 45 mice, which were divided into groups of seven or eight individuals. These are specially bred laboratory mice of the 5xFAD line, which are predisposed from birth to develop the disease.

The scientists gave them diAcCA or a placebo (olive oil) three times a week for three months. They also tried three different doses — 10, 20, and 50 milligrams — to see which worked best. They then gave the mice a series of cognitive tests.

One was a water maze, in which the mice searched for a hidden platform in a pool. Healthy mice found it quickly, but mice with Alzheimer's had trouble.

The team also used special microscopes to look at the mice's brains to see if the drug had any effect on harmful plaques, or protein tangles.

The results were striking. The mice given diAcCA, especially at higher doses, swam to the platform faster and performed better in other tests. Under the microscope, their brains looked healthier — there were fewer plaques and tangles, more connections between brain cells, and less inflammation.

“With diAcCA, we were able to not only reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, but also increase the number of synapses in the brain,” said Dr. Lipton.