Scientists create supercharged vitamin K that helps the brain heal itself

Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases damage the brain by destroying neurons, leading to memory problems, cognitive decline, and movement difficulties. Existing medicines can ease symptoms and some early Alzheimer’s therapies can slow decline, but they do not restore lost memories or rebuild damaged brain tissue. Vitamin K is known for blood clotting and bone health, and it has also been linked to brain protection and neuronal differentiation. Menaquinone 4 (MK-4) is naturally active, but its effects may be insufficient for regenerative medicine. Researchers synthesized vitamin K analogues intended to be more active in the nervous system. The new compounds showed roughly threefold greater potency in inducing neural progenitor cells to differentiate into neurons than natural vitamin K.

"Diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's slowly damage the brain by destroying neurons, the cells that carry messages through the nervous system. As these cells are lost, people can experience memory problems, cognitive decline, and movement difficulties that often become severe enough to require constant care."

"Current medicines can ease some symptoms, and recent Alzheimer's therapies such as lecanemab and donanemab can slow decline in certain people with early disease, but they do not restore lost memories or rebuild damaged brain tissue. That is why researchers are pursuing another ambitious idea: helping the brain replace neurons that have been lost."

"One form of vitamin K, menaquinone 4 (MK-4), is naturally active in the body. Even so, its effects may not be strong enough on their own for future use in regenerative medicine aimed at neurodegenerative disease."

"The newly synthesized vitamin K analogues demonstrated approximately threefold greater potency in inducing the differentiation of neural progenitor cells into neurons compared to natural vitamin K. Since neuronal loss is a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheime"

Read at ScienceDaily