A new study, reported here and here, shows that caffeic-acid-based Carbon Quantum Dots (CACQDs), made from coffee grounds, “may be able to protect the brain from neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
The researchers were from the University of Texas at El Paso, and were led by Jyotish Kumar, a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, overseen by Mahesh Narayan, distinguished professor in the same department.
They speculated that “in the early stages of conditions like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s in humans, CACQD-based treatments could effectively prevent the progression of the disease,” based on “the potential of CACQDs to protect brain cells against damage from lifestyle and environmental factors, such as obesity, aging and exposure to toxic environmental chemicals.”
In the early stages of these diseases, lifestyle and environmental factors can produce elevated levels of free radicals, “harmful molecules known to contribute to various other ailments such as cancer, heart disease, and vision loss—in the brain, and the accumulation of fragments of amyloid-forming proteins that can lead to the formation of plaques or fibrils within the brain.
The article quotes Narayan: “”It is critical to address these disorders before they reach the clinical stage. At that point, it is likely too late. Any current treatments that can address advanced symptoms of neurodegenerative disease are simply beyond the means of most people. Our aim is to come up with a solution that can prevent most cases of these conditions at a cost that is manageable for as many patients as possible.”
Could CACQDs be part of that solution? The researchers found that CACQDs “demonstrated the ability to neutralize or prevent damage caused by free radicals, while also inhibiting the aggregation of amyloid protein fragments without inducing significant side effects.”
Caffeic acid is part of the polyphenol family, and polyphenols are already known for antioxidant properties. “Caffeic acid, however, possesses a unique characteristic — it can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, thereby exerting its effects on brain cells.”
To produce the CACQs, the researchers “cooked” coffee grounds at 200 degrees for four hours, “a process that restructures the carbon arrangement of caffeic acid, leading to the formation of CACQDs.” Since coffee grounds are so readily available, the process is very affordable and sustainable.
Next step: further testing and development, hopefully leading to production of a medication, possibly a pill, that could prevent “the majority of neurodegenerative disorders originating from factors other than genetics.” Needless to say, it would be an epic accomplishment — and of course, we’ll be tracking it closely,
(Photo credit: Americ181 at iStock by Getty)