The Possible Role of Glow Sticks
— Yes , Glow Sticks — in Treating Alzheimer ’ s
A new imaging probe that could help to advance therapies for Alzheimer ’ s disease draws its inspiration from an unlikely source .
Research suggests that Alzheimer ’ s is closely associated with increased levels of ‘ reactive oxygen species ’ ( ROS ) in the brain , but actual , in vivo evidence of this has proved scarce . Now , the Martinos Center ’ s Chongzhao Ran and colleagues have looked to glow sticks — those luminescent plastic tubes favored by survivalists , ravers , and young children on a warm summer ’ s night — in developing a means to detect and monitor ROS .
Here ’ s how it works . In a glow stick , oxalate and hydrogen peroxide — a reactive oxygen species — are loaded into separate compartments . When you bend the stick , the barrier between the compartments breaks and the substrates are allowed to mix . The resulting chemical reaction produces the temporary luminescence . Similarly , in the imaging probe designed by Chongzhao and colleagues , oxalate reacts with ROS in the brain to produce a shift in the wavelength of the probe . The researchers can detect this shift with the imaging technique two-photon microscopy , thus making quantification of the ROS possible .
This opens up a number of opportunities in Alzheimer ’ s research . Using the probe could yield reliable information about the changes in ROS concentrations both in the natural progression of the disease and in the wake of treatment . “ The data could be very important to determine whether anti-oxidants should be combined with Alzheimer ’ s drugs for treatment in the future ,” Chongzhao says .
The Martinos-based team reported a study validating the probe in a paper published last month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . The researchers are now working to develop probes with increased sensitivity and longer wavelengths , with the goal of monitoring the changes in ROS concentrations under various treatments with Alzheimer ’ s drugs in preclinical studies .
They are also looking at the possibility of using the probes directly in humans , taking advantage of ocular imaging and the transparency of the eyes . They have already obtained preliminary data supporting this feasibility .
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