Study leader Prof. Giovanna Mallucci, of the MRC's Toxicology Unit and the University of Cambridge in the U.K., and colleagues believe that their findings could lead to much-needed treatments for Alzheimer's diseaseand other neurodegenerative diseases in as little as 2 to 3 years.
Clinical trials are needed to determine the safety and efficacy of the compounds for neurodegenerative disease in humans, but the fact that one of the compounds is already used for the treatment of depressioncould speed up the process.
Now, the researchers have identified two new compounds that have not only proven effective for preventing brain cell death in mice, but they also had minimal side effects.
The team then tested these compounds on mouse models of prion disease - a group of neurodegenerative diseases caused by proteins called prions, which prompt the misfolding of healthy proteins - and a familial form of FTD.
FTD is a type of dementia caused by the loss of brain cells in the frontal lobes of the brain.
Two compounds were found to be effective: trazodone and dibenzoylmethane (DBM). Trazodone is a medication used for the treatment of depression, while DBM is a licorice-derived compound currently undergoing testing as an anti-cancer drug.
In most of the mouse models of prion disease, both drugs prevented signs of brain cell death by recovering protein production, and in FTD mouse models, the drugs restored memory.
Additionally, the researchers found that the drugs led to a decrease in brain shrinkage in both mouse models. Brain shrinkage is a hallmark of neurodegenerative disease.
The team notes that the side effects of both drugs were minimal.
Trazodone is the most promising candidate, since its safety has already been established in humans.