So, today, we’ll first talk about a process that its been around for a while- and then discuss an exciting new use for this concept.

When folks were poisoned by heavy metals, G-d forbid, we added a compound to their blood to bind the heavy metal.  This was a process to preclude severe damage to the body.  For most of those instances, the compound of choice was EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid), but not always.

This compound “grabs” and “binds” the heavy metal, which is the concept of a “chelant”;  the process was called chelation therapy.  This process has been approved by the FDA for a while for heavy metals removal from the body,  (The bound materials are excreted by the kidneys.)

Some creative types attempted chelation therapy for atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease.  Their goal was to bind the calcium deposits  (the “plaque that lines blood vessel walls, impeding the flow of the blood) and reduce the risk of cardiac problems.  But, the results with this sort of chelation therapy are often in the eye of the beholders (in other words- inconsistent results).

Now, a group of researchers at the Technion (Chaifa, Israel) and CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Toulouse, France) are considering chelation therapy to deal with Alzheimer’s disease.

Drs. Maria Baskin and Galia Maayan (head researcher, Technion along with her graduate student, Anastasia Behar) , plus Drs. Laurent Sabater and Christelle Hureau  (CNRS) published their results in Angewandte Chemie.  The title of the publication, “A Water-Soluble Peptoid Chelator that Can Remove Cu 2+ from Amyloid-β Peptides and Stop the Formation of Reactive Oxygen Species Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease”  gives the essence of their approach.

We know that copper binds with the amyloid beta complex (Cu–Aβ) in the brain.  When that binding is effected, free radicals (which are oxidizing agents) are released, which can damage the brain cells. If the copper could be removed, the complex would degrade, limiting cell death and the advancement of Alzheimer’s.  At least that is the theory.

By now, you’ve guessed that the researchers attempted to chelate the copper ions, thereby precluding their inclusion in the complex.  But, it’s a little trickier than that.  Because what binds copper often binds zinc- and that zinc is critical for brain functionality.  So,  we don’t want the zinc to compete with the copper on the chelant.

The water soluble (peptidomimetic) molecule they developed, which is termed P3, actually does bind to both copper and zinc.  The good thing is the zinc bonding is relatively weak.  Therefore, brain activity is maintained and the free radical (reactive oxidative species, ROS) is inhibited.

Now, the animal trials are done.  We have to see if this works in humans. Not just the chelation- but the effect on Alzheimer’s.