A new study indicates that a drug may represent a novel therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s disease after researchers used it to treat the disease in rats.

Share on Pinterest The study authors were able to prevent and repair damage to the brains of rats caused by Alzheimer’s disease using IRL-1620.

At present, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved five medications to treat Alzheimer’s disease. However, while these only mask the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, the researchers were able to treat the disease itself in rats using a chemical called IRL-1620.

They found that the drug improved memory, prevented oxidative stress and enhanced neurovascular modeling in rats that had demonstrated impaired learning and increased oxidative stress caused by the disease.

“We used the novel approach of stimulating the endothelin B receptors by intravenous injection of IRL-1620 to prevent and repair the damage to the brain caused by Alzheimer’s disease,” reports study co-author Seema Briyal, a senior scientist and adjunct assistant professor at Midwestern University in Downers Grove, IL.

Endothelin B (ETB) receptors have previously been identified by researchers as important in brain development, and stimulation of these receptors has been shown to provide protection to the nervous system.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of progressive dementia, a group of symptoms that impair brain function. An estimated 5.3 million Americans currently have Alzheimer’s. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, every 67 seconds, someone in the US develops the disease.

The condition is also one of the leading causes of death in the US, with the Alzheimer’s Association estimating that 700,000 people will die with the disease over the course of 2015.