Coffee grounds could help prevent neurodegenerative diseases one day

Photo: Pixabay/Alexas_Fotos

Neurodegenerative disorders such as including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s blight the lives of millions of people around the world. Yet a possible cure to alleviate their effects could come from an unlikely source: coffee grounds.

Caffeic-acid based Carbon Quantum Dots (CACQDs), which can be derived from used coffee grounds, could potentially protect brain cells from the damage caused by neurodegenerative diseases if they are spotted early enough, theorize scientists from the University of Texas in El Paso.

“Caffeic-acid based Carbon Quantum Dots have the potential to be transformative in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders,” says Jyotish Kumar, a doctoral student at the university’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry who was an author of a study. “This is because none of the current treatments resolve the diseases; they only help manage the symptoms. Our aim is to find a cure by addressing the atomic and molecular underpinnings that drive these conditions.”

Neurodegenerative diseases are primarily characterized by a loss of neurons, thereby inhibiting a person’s ability to perform both complex and basic functions such as movement, speech and other cognitive tasks.

In their early stages the disorders, which can be caused by lifestyle or environmental factors, include elevated levels of free radicals in the brain. These harmful molecules also contribute to other diseases such as cancer and heart disease. In the brain, amyloid-forming proteins as a result of free radicals can lead to the build-up of plaques, leading to impaired brain functions.

CACQDs proved neuroprotective for cells in test tube experiments involving brain cells with the markings of Parkinson’s disease when the disorder was caused by a pesticide called paraquat. They “were able to remove free radicals or prevent them from causing damage and inhibited the aggregation of amyloid protein fragments without causing any significant side effects,” the scientists report.

Caffeic acid belongs to a family of plant-based compounds called polyphenols known for their antioxidant properties. Caffeic acid is unique in that it can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and so can exert its effects directly upon brain cells, the experts say. If detected in their very early stages conditions such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s could respond well to  a treatment based on CACQDs.

“It is critical to address these disorders before they reach the clinical stage,” says Mahesh Narayan, a professor at the same university and a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. “At that point, it is likely too late. Any current treatments that can address advanced symptoms of neurodegenerative disease are simply beyond the means of most people. Our aim is to come up with a solution that can prevent most cases of these conditions at a cost that is manageable for as many patients as possible.”

His research team extracts CACQDs from used coffee grounds in what is known “green chemistry,” so called because it is environmentally friendly. In their lab the scientists cook coffee grounds at high temperatures for hours to reorient the caffeic acid’s carbon structure and form CACQDs.

“The sheer abundance of coffee grounds is what makes the process both economical and sustainable,” Narayan explains. He cautions, however, that it will take some time yet before medication in the form of a pill can be produced with CACQDs for neurodegenerative disorders.