DL-/PO-phosphatidylcholine may shed light on the treatment of Alzheimer dementia

Purpose: Thus far, no promising drug for Alzheimer disease has been developed. Previously, we documented the beneficial effects of 1,2-dilinoleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DL-PC) and/or 1palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PO-PC), which enhanced learning and memory abilities and improved cognitive disorders in both animals and humans. The present study reviews the usefulness of DLand PO-PC for the treatment of Alzheimer dementia. Study section and results: The anti-dementia effect of DL-PC, PO-PC, or DL-PC plus PO-PC was assessed in patients with cognitive decline and dementia by using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test. The initial MMSE score for the patients was 17.4 0.3; however, 1 month after taking DLand/or PO-PC the score increased to over 20, corresponding to normal cognitive functions, and the effect was still evident in some subjects 5 years after taking DLand/or PO-PC. Among the subjects in this study, 20 patients with Alzheimer disease had taken donepezil hydrochloride for more than 1 year. The MMSE score for those 20 patients was 11.8 1.1, and the score significantly improved to 19.9 1.6 one year after stopping donepezil medication and instead taking DLand PO-PC. Conclusion: The results of the present study demonstrate that DL-/PO-PC could be an effective therapeutic agent for Alzheimer dementia. Copyright 2013, International Society of Personalized Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.