Studies of routes of administration of new copper chelators for use in therapy for Alzheimer's diseasee

• Grant number: 23/01049-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2023
• End date: October 01, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Metabolism and Bioenergetics
• Principal Investigator: Giselle Cerchiaro
• Grantee: Augusto Batista Farias
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/07562-9 - Studies to evaluate Alzheimer's disease pathology in transgenic mice after exposure to air pollution, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease is the most common case of dementia, a neurodegenerative disease that presents symptoms such as memory loss and language difficulties, and can occur due to genetic causes or sporadically. The main characteristic of brains affected by Alzheimer's is the accumulation of fragments of ²-amyloid protein, called ²-amyloid plaques, outside neurons. Research indicates that a failure in copper ion homeostasis can lead to metal overload in the brain, which is directly linked to the formation of these plaques. Knowing the role that copper plays in Alzheimer's disease, our research group has already synthesized and tested in vitro some specific and selective chelators for copper(II) to be used to remove the metal from beta-amyloid plaques. Thus, the objective of this IC project is to study the in vivo action (in male Wistar rats) of 2 new selective copper chelators, so that they can be candidates for drugs in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The project is part of a larger project, involving another FAPESP doctoral fellow (project 2021/08883-5) where new compounds are synthesized and studied. The student has already completed training, as evidenced by the CEUA course and has been carrying out research in the laboratory since November/2022.