Holistic medicine has always held that the mind and body are one unit – that curing one will cure the other. University of Rochester Medical Center boffins are teaming up with a diverse group to find out if, in the case of one particular enzyme, this concept turns out to be quite specifically true.
The enzyme in question is called MLK3. It is a part of what is a normal bodily inflammation response to viruses. However, like all inflammation its effects can actually damage cells. In cases of dementia associated with HIV, researchers on the team have discovered that MLK3’s inflammatory process are the culprit. The result of excess inflammation is, again, damaged brain cells, enough of which causes cognitive problems.
This same process also occurs in the heart. And it turns out, based on preliminary research by the team, that the same enzyme is responsible for both conditions. Better still, that means that potentially a single drug that inhibits the over-production of the enzyme might slow the progression of both diseases.
For more on the study, read the below-linked article:
