A specific substance found in coffee grounds may help prevent and provide early treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease, according to a new study.
The 2023 Seoul Coffee Expo, held at COEX until the 8th. Visitors at the exhibition are watching a demonstration of a robot coffee dripper. Photo by Huh Younghan younghan@
A research team at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) revealed that 'caffeic acid-based carbon quantum dots (CACQD)' extracted from coffee grounds can protect brain cells from damage caused by various neurodegenerative diseases resulting from obesity, aging, pesticide exposure, and toxic environmental chemicals.
Dr. Mahesh Narayan, the corresponding author of the study and a biochemist, stated, "We discovered the potential for prevention and early treatment of neurodegenerative diseases in coffee grounds discarded daily in homes, businesses, and coffee shops worldwide."
The research team hypothesized that CACQD-based treatments could be effective in completely preventing diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's at their early stages. They also 'cooked' coffee grounds in the laboratory at 200 degrees Celsius for four hours to restructure the carbon framework of caffeic acid and produce CACQD.
As a result, the 'caffeic acid-based carbon quantum dots (CACQD)' were found to eliminate or prevent damage from free radicals such as reactive oxygen species and suppress the aggregation of amyloid protein fragments without severe side effects. For example, in cases where Parkinson's disease was caused by the pesticide paraquat, CACQD was shown to protect neurons.
Caffeic acid belongs to the class of plant-derived compounds called 'polyphenols,' known as antioxidants or free radical scavengers. Caffeic acid can cross the blood-brain barrier, enabling it to exert therapeutic effects on cells within the brain.
Jothish Kumar, a doctoral researcher and the first author of the study, said, "The 'caffeic acid-based carbon quantum dots' in coffee grounds, which are typically discarded as waste, could produce revolutionary results in treating neurodegenerative diseases that currently only have symptom-relieving therapies without fundamental cures." He added, "The research aims to find ways to address the atomic and molecular bases causing Alzheimer's and other diseases to treat them from the root."
The study also involved a research team from Yale University. The team stated, "The finish line is still far away. However, we will continue research until we develop drugs that prevent most neurodegenerative disorders caused by factors other than genetics."
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