Cheap pills unexpectedly repelled incurable disease thanks ... sex hormones

A popular, inexpensive drug for diabetes can make a breakthrough in treating untreated dementia and brain damage, thanks to an interaction with female sex hormones.

A research team from the University of Toronto in Ontario (Canada) has discovered an unexpected new use of an extremely popular diabetes drug , which is to combat the symptoms of an untreated dementia group. as well as helping people recover from brain damage due to stroke or cerebral palsy.

Cheap diabetes medicine unexpectedly exerts a beneficial effect on the damaged brain - (photo: SHUTTERSTOCK).

The drug is very familiar to diabetics around the world: metformin , which is marketed under a variety of brands.

The mechanism of action of the drug is also surprising: the reason it helps to repair brain damage is due to the strange relationship with the female sex hormone estradiol. When the body enters this sex hormone, the effect of the drug on these cells.

In animal experiments, metformin was very effective in repairing brain damage of newborn mice suffering from stroke. It also has similar benefits in adult female mice by stimulating nerve stem cells in the brain.

According to Professor - Dr Cindi Morshead, lead author of the study, the results they collected show that this type of diabetes medication has the potential to be applied in the treatment regimen for rehabilitation of brain damage in stroke patients. , cerebral palsy and even treatment Alzhemeir - the most common disease in the group of dementia, is one of the leading causes of premature death and no cure.

However, because of the interaction with the female sex hormone estradiol, only women will benefit mentally when taking this medication. The male sex hormone testosterone, on the other hand, interferes with the neural effects of the drug.