Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive illness that destroys memory and other important mental functions, affecting an estimated 55 million people worldwide. By 2050, the number of cases is set to increase to 139 million. Additionally, low- and middle-income countries experiencing the most significant increase.
As life expectancy increases, more people are reaching ages where neurodegenerative diseases are becoming more common. This increase necessitates the development of new, more effective therapies.
Rooibos for Alzheimer’s disease?
Some animal studies have also shown that Rooibos extracts might influence specific memory and cognitive function pathways. Yet further examination is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.
Novel research by Dr. Taskeen Fathima Docrat, a scientist based at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) aims to unravel the intricate biological mechanisms involved in brain health. The aim is to gain a clearer understanding of how and to what extent Rooibos can prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
“We’ve delved explicitly into the intricate world of epigenetics, which is the study of how our behaviors and the environment can change the way our genes work without altering the underlying DNA sequence.
Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible and can change how your body reads a DNA sequence. Mitochondria, the powerhouse of a cell, are responsible for generating energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Sometimes mitochondria don’t work as well as they should due to another disease or condition in the cell – mitochondrial dysfunction. Many conditions can lead to secondary mitochondrial dysfunction, including Alzheimer’s disease, muscular dystrophy, and Type 1 diabetes.”
Rooibos and mitochondrial dysfunction
Dr. Docrat adds that they’ve been particularly interested in understanding how Rooibos can influence oxidative stress-related biomarkers, and gene and microRNA regulation related to mitochondrial dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease. This line of research takes a holistic approach by examining many factors and their interactions.
“We are comparing the effects of fermented (red) and unfermented (green) Rooibos to help us understand the potential benefits of different Rooibos types comprehensively.
Comparing the effects of different Rooibos types not only contributes to a more nuanced understanding of their potential impacts in protecting against Alzheimer’s, but also provides insights into how variations in processing might influence their bioactive properties.”
While they are still busy with these studies, preliminary findings do suggest that Rooibos could positively impact these factors.
Rooibos and autophagy activity
Prof. Ben Loos is a prominent researcher and professor of molecular physiology. He has done extensive research in the last 12 years on Alzheimer’s disease and neuronal aging, malignant brain tumors, as well as neuronal injury and trauma.
His research has focused on autophagy activity. In gist, autophagy acts as a housekeeping mechanism to ensure that damaged parts of the cell are rapidly digested (eaten) and cleared from the cell.
In recent years, defects in autophagy function, which happens with aging, have been associated with the development of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
Improving autophagy to prevent Alzheimer’s
Various animal models and cellular studies show that increased autophagy activity may play a role in improved longevity and a longer lifespan.
Prof. Loos’ aim is to prevent or delay the dying of cells. He says that over the last few years, it has become very clear that the biggest risk for the development of AD is aging.
“We all age differently. Some age poorly – usually associated with poor lifestyle choices, while others age healthily. So, we started to look at the molecular hallmarks of aging, which include mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damage, and the accumulation of toxic protein aggregates.
In doing so, we came across the potential health benefits of Rooibos and were curious about how it would impact these markers. If it acted on some of those parameters positively, we thought, it could likely reduce the risk of neurodegeneration.
Rooibos and cell health
Prof. Loos’ current research assesses the effect of Rooibos extract on damaged/diseased mitochondria – mimicking AD, which has shown that when we treat neurons with the extract, mitochondrial volume increases. This indicates that Rooibos is indeed acting on a very important part that controls cell energetic and cell health. Preliminary data also show that the Rooibos extract preserves cell membrane integrity.
Applying leading-edge imaging technologies to unravel the molecular makeup of a dying and diseased cell, allows Prof. Loos and his team to gain a deeper understanding of cell dynamics and how they respond (fight) to survive a stressful event.
Prof. Loos says they designed the research so that it is more translatable to humans.
“The cells are all treated with an equivalent amount of either three or six cups of Rooibos, so that a low and high concentration can be compared. We also use fermented (red) and non-fermented (green) Rooibos. Our results show that at both low and high concentrations of fermented and non-fermented Rooibos extract, mitochondrial function was improved.”
Autophagy in the brain
Once Prof. Loos and his team have completed their current study, they will turn their focus to how effectively Rooibos impacts the process of autophagy in the neuron.
“If we can show that Rooibos extracts increases the cell’s ability to remove toxic protein cargo, such as amyloid beta, by enhancing autophagy, this would be a massive finding. Autophagy, which increases upon fasting or exercise, has been shown to directly rescue diseased Alzheimer’s neurons.
“Such a finding would be very direct evidence of the effect of Rooibos on cell health and healthy aging. We would also like to introduce an even better model for Alzheimer’s disease, where we can switch on the production of these toxic proteins and measure whether the presence of Rooibos can decrease the toxic burden.
In the future, we would like to measure the effect of Rooibos on the mitochondria and autophagy in human blood cells to have an even better translational value,” says Prof. Loos.
What does this mean for Alzheimer’s?
Both Dr. Docrat’s and Prof. Loos’s research approaches offer multifaceted insights into Rooibos’s potential benefits against Alzheimer’s, covering cellular and molecular aspects.
Dr. Docrat hopes that the insights they are gathering will guide the design of future human clinical trials to explore Rooibos’ effects in real-world scenarios. Additionally, they are currently laying the foundation for potentially developing supplements that could act preventatively.
Who are the experts?
Dr. Taskeen Fathima Docrat
Dr. Taskeen Fathima Docrat
Dr. Taskeen Fathima Docrat graduated with a Ph.D. in Medical Biochemistry for her study on the protective effects of Metformin on the brain and kidney. She is experienced in Medical Science with a demonstrated history of working in the research industry.
Prof. Ben Loos
Prof. Ben Loos is a Senior Lecturer at Stellenbosch University and is the head of the Neuro Research Group (NRG). He is originally from Berlin, where he finished his undergraduate studies. He came to Stellenbosch, where he did his honors, masters, and Ph.D. in cellular physiology.
Prof. Ben Loos
During his Ph.D. he studied the molecular mechanisms of cell death during ischemic injury. He also started a fluorescence imaging facility at Stellenbosch University, which is now a state-of-the-art facility. This formed the basis of his research background.
