Joined: 12/20/2011
Posts: 217
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On the old discussion board, there was some interest in PBT2 as a promising treatment for AD. Here's a disappointing update that I just came across: (Apologies if this has already been posted. I searched here but couldn't find it.)
There is no evidence that MPACs (PBT1 or PBT2) are of benefit in Alzheimer's
dementia
Sampson EL,
Jenagaratnam L, McShane R
The protein amyloid-β (Aß) is strongly implicated in the development of
Alzheimer's dementia, where it aggregates in clumps causing damage and death of
brain cells. This clumping is encouraged by copper and zinc (metal ions) in the
brain. Metal protein attenuating compounds (MPACS) bind strongly to copper and
zinc (this is known as chelation), both preventing the clumping together of Aß
and promoting processes which may cause it to dissolve and so be cleared from
brain cells. Therefore MPACS may be a potential therapy for Alzheimer's
dementia. Two different types of MPAC have been used in clinical trials and the
drugs are known as PBT1 and PBT2. The trial of PBT1 compared with placebo (in 36 patients) showed no statistically significant difference in cognition or memory
between the active treatment and placebo groups at 36 weeks. We therefore
conclude that there is no current evidence that treatment with clioquinol (PBT1)
has any significant effect on cognition and in particular memory (as measured by
the ADAS-Cog scale) in patients with Alzheimer's dementia. This drug has now
been withdrawn from development. The trial of PBT2 showed it was safe after 12
weeks of treatment but demonstrated no overall significant effect on cognition or memory.
http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD005380/there-is-no-evidence-that-mpacs-pbt1-or-pbt2-are-of-benefit-in-alzheimers-dementia
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