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Recent Alagebrium Research
(Friday February 09 2007)
 | Alagebrium, or ALT-711, is an AGE-breaker - a class of compound designed to break up the advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) that contribute to some types of age-related degeneration. "Arterial stiffening and endothelial dysfunction are hallmarks of aging, and advanced glycation endproducts (AGE) may contribute to these changes. We tested the hypothesis that AGE crosslink breakers enhance endothelial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in humans and examined the potential mechanisms for this effect. ... Alagebrium enhances peripheral artery endothelial function and improves overall impedance matching. Improved endothelial function correlates better with reduced vascular fibrosis and inflammation markers than with vessel distensibility. AGE-crosslink breakers may reduce cardiovascular risk in older adults by reduced central arterial stiffness and vascular remodeling." Unfortunately, despite promising animal studies, results in people have not been unambiguously positive: it is probably the case that alagebrium targets a type of AGE that is common in old animals, but not in old people. AGE-breakers are a serious branch of research, but we need to move past alagebrium as anything other than an illustrative example, and on to the fruits of more advanced biotechnology. |
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