Repairing the Amyloid Removal Process
That amyloid levels in the brain are very dynamic is a comparatively recent discovery. Buildup of amyloid beta in Alzheimer's is likely not a matter of slow accumulation, as the amyloid material is constantly generated and destroyed in a matter of days, but rather slow failure of the active mechanisms for removing this toxic substance. Some researchers are taking aim at this process, as noted at ScienceDaily: "The team concentrated its efforts around a protein known as sLRP (soluble low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein). The team discovered that in healthy people, the protein binds to and neutralizes anywhere from 70 to 90 percent of the amyloid-beta that is circulating in the body. ... Levels of sLRP in people with Alzheimer's were about 30 percent lower than in healthy people, and the sLRP that was present was almost three times as likely to be damaged compared to the same protein in healthy people. ... Zlokovic's group decided to try to reduce amyloid-beta levels in the body by synthesizing an altered, super-potent form of sLRP ... In blood samples from patients with Alzheimer's disease, the modified version of sLRP, known as LRP-IV, soaked up and virtually eliminated amyloid-beta. ... in mice with features of [Alzheimer's] LRP-IV lowered the levels of amyloid-beta in their brains by 85 to 90 percent."
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070812173240.htm