Alzheimer's drug cuts hallmark inflammation related to metabolic syndrome by 25 percent
In a study released in JCI Insight , Feinstein Institute researchers found that the FDA-approved Alzheimer's drug "galantamine" cut key markers of inflammation -- a hallmark of metabolic syndrome -- by more than 25 percent, leading to reduced insulin resistance. A cluster of four risk factors -- increased blood pressure, a high blood sugar level, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels -- comprise metabolic syndrome, which greatly raises risks for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. But there is no treatment for metabolic syndrome as a whole, leaving physicians to tackle the condition by treating symptoms. From previous studies at the Feinstein Institute, Associate Professor Valentin A. Pavlov, PhD, and his colleagues knew that galantamine -- derived synthetically from flowers used in Greek mythology to combat memory loss and delirium -- lessened inflammation levels in mice with obesity. Since inflammation plays a key role in metabol...