Korean scientists used tomatoes to create a vaccine against Alzheimer's disease. Tests in mice have shown that edible vaccine causes a strong immune response against the toxic beta-amyloid protein, which plays an important role in the development of the disease, according to the journal Biotechnology Letters.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes the development of dementia. One of the main symptoms of the disease is the formation of plaques from the beta-amyloid protein in the brain. It is suggested that a decrease in the level of this protein, for example, with the help of an immune attack, can slow the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Specialists from the Korean Research Institute of Biosciences and Biotechnologies introduced the gene of beta-amyloid into the tomato genome. The received vaccine was weekly fed with 15-month-old mice for three weeks. A repeat vaccination course was conducted seven weeks later.

Subsequent studies of mouse blood revealed a potent immune response with the formation of antibodies to the beta amyloid protein.

Despite the fact that the introduction of the vaccine did not lead to a reduction in the number of plaques in the brain of animals, the researchers considered the new approach to be promising. At present, they are developing a plant vaccine capable of producing an even more potent immune response.

Medicinform. Net.

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