Scientists at the Military Medical Academy Create Functional Food Products to Support Alzheimer’s Treatment.
Researchers at the Military Medical Academy have undertaken the task of “Researching and Developing a Technological Process for Producing Cell Biomass from Huperzia serrata to Extract HupA Active Ingredients for Applications in the Food Industry”, aimed at creating functional food products that support the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Assisting Individuals with Dementia
Dr. Nguyen Van Thu, the project leader, stated that currently, there are approximately 44 million people worldwide suffering from dementia. It is projected that by 2050, this number will triple to 131 million. Among these, Alzheimer’s disease is one of the leading causes of dementia, accounting for about 75%.
For the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, only five types of medications have been approved by the FDA for use, including: Rivastigmine (Exelon), Galantamine (Razadyne and Reminyl), Tacrine (Cognex), Donepezil (Aricept), and Memantine (Namenda).
Leaves of Huperzia serrata.
However, these medications only work on the symptoms of the disease in some patients, and many do not respond to these treatments.
In recent years, numerous studies have approached and utilized natural compounds for treatment. In China, Huperzine A (HupA) has been clinically used to treat dementia-related diseases to improve cognition and memory.
In the United States, HupA is also used as a memory enhancer. HupA is known as an alkaloid isolated from Huperzia serrata, which strongly and specifically inhibits acetylcholinesterase (AChE).
AChE is an enzyme that halts the action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, significantly reducing its levels. Therefore, maintaining acetylcholine concentration is crucial for preventing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Recent studies have reported that HupA has protective effects on neurons against oxidative damage caused by amyloid and mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as through the regulation of nerve growth factor levels.
Additionally, HupA has been shown to be effective against vascular dementia and other neurodegenerative disorders characterized by ischemic components, as well as various cognitive impairments.
Plant Cell Culture as an Alternative to Natural Crops
Dr. Nguyen Van Thu noted that Huperzia serrata is a slow-growing plant that requires at least 15 years to develop and produce sufficient HupA for extraction and isolation, while the HupA content in the plant is very low (0.007%).
As a result, the natural supply of this plant is insufficient to meet the increasing treatment demands, which will soon lead to a decline in Huperzia serrata populations and related species found in nature.
To address this issue, in addition to researching natural breeding and cultivation, we can explore synthetic methods or the cultivation of endophytic fungi in plant tissues that produce HupA. However, the synthesis process is very complex, costly, and scaling up to large-scale production poses significant challenges.
Moreover, cultivating endophytic fungi in plant tissues that produce HupA has the characteristic of low stability, with rapid degeneration of strains producing bioactive compounds. Therefore, plant cell biomass represents a promising direction for producing active ingredients from medicinal plants in general and Huperzia serrata in particular.
Plant Cell Culture Technology involves cultivating cells in sterile conditions in test tubes or large culture vessels, aiming to create cell biomass from which active ingredients can be extracted and isolated.
Plant cell culture technology has advantages over natural cultivation, including a shorter time from cultivation to harvest, immunity to climate, weather, diseases, and seasonal variations; stable quality of raw materials, and improved active ingredient content compared to outdoor cultivation.
Currently, the research team has developed a technological process and equipment model for producing cell biomass from Huperzia serrata; established extraction and purification processes for Huperzine A active ingredients from Huperzia serrata cell biomass; and developed production processes, assessing the safety and effectiveness of functional food capsules containing Huperzine A to support memory improvement.
Dr. Nguyen Van Thu shared that the establishment of a plant cell culture technology process for Huperzia serrata aims to ensure a stable raw material source for extracting and isolating Huperzine A, serving the research and production of memory-enhancing products, while helping to preserve the precious natural populations of Huperzia serrata.
