Imiphumela yocwaningo olwenziwe yiqembu laseShanghai Jiaotong University ikhombisa ukuthi i-formic acid iyi-biomarker yomchamo ebucayi engathola isifo se-Alzheimer's (AD) sasekuqaleni. Okutholakele kungavula indlela yokuhlola umzimba okushibhile nokulula. UDkt. Yifan Wang, uDkt. Qihao Guo kanye nozakwabo bashicilele isihloko esithi “Ukuhlolwa Okuhlelekile kwe-Formic Acid ku-Urine njenge-New Potential Alzheimer's Biomarker” ku-Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. Esitatimendeni sabo, ababhali baphetha ngokuthi: “I-formic acid emchameni inozwela oluhle kakhulu lokuhlola isifo se-Alzheimer's kwasekuqaleni… Ukutholwa kwe-biomarkers yesifo se-Alzheimer's emchameni kulula futhi kuyabiza. Kufanele ifakwe ekuhlolweni kwezokwelapha okuvamile kwabantu asebekhulile.”
Abalobi bachaza ukuthi i-AD, uhlobo oluvame kakhulu lwe-dementia, ibonakaliswa ukukhubazeka okuqhubekayo kokuqonda nokuziphatha. Izici eziyinhloko ze-pathological ze-AD zifaka phakathi ukunqwabelana okungavamile kwe-extracellular amyloid β (Aβ), ukunqwabelana okungavamile kwe-neurofibrillary tau tangles, kanye nomonakalo we-synapse. Kodwa-ke, ithimba liqhubekile, "i-pathogenesis ye-AD ayiqondakali ngokugcwele."
Isifo i-Alzheimer's singabonakala kuze kube yilapho sekwephuze kakhulu ukwelashwa. “Siyisifo esingamahlalakhona esiqhubekayo nesicashile, okusho ukuthi singakhula futhi siqhubeke iminyaka eminingi ngaphambi kokuba kuvele ukuphazamiseka okusobala kwengqondo,” kusho abalobi. “Izigaba zokuqala zalesi sifo zenzeka ngaphambi kwesigaba se-dementia esingenakuguqulwa, okuyifasitela legolide lokungenelela nokwelashwa. Ngakho-ke, ukuhlolwa okukhulu kwesifo i-Alzheimer's esiteji sokuqala kubantu asebekhulile kuyadingeka.”
Nakuba izinhlelo zokuhlola ngobuningi zisiza ekutholeni lesi sifo ekuqaleni, izindlela zamanje zokuxilonga zinzima kakhulu futhi zibiza kakhulu ekuhlolweni okuvamile. I-Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CET) ingathola ama-deposit e-Aβ kusenesikhathi, kodwa ibiza kakhulu futhi iveza iziguli emisebeni, kuyilapho izivivinyo ze-biomarker ezisiza ekuxilongeni i-Alzheimer's zidinga ukudonsa igazi okungenayo noma ukubhobozwa kwe-lumbar ukuze kutholakale uketshezi lwe-cerebrospinal, okungase kube yinto ecasulayo ezigulini.
Abacwaningi baphawula ukuthi izifundo eziningana zikhombisile ukuthi kungenzeka ukuhlola iziguli ukuze kutholakale ama-biomarker e-AD. Ukuhlolwa komchamo akuhlaseli futhi kulula, okwenza kube kuhle kakhulu ekuhlolweni kwabantu abaningi. Kodwa nakuba ososayensi sebevele bethole ama-biomarker e-AD, awekho afanele ukuthola izigaba zokuqala zalesi sifo, okusho ukuthi ithuba lokwelashwa kwasekuqaleni lisalokhu lingekho.
UWang kanye nozakwabo bake bafunda i-formaldehyde njenge-biomarker yomchamo yesifo i-Alzheimer's. “Eminyakeni yamuva nje, i-metabolism ye-formaldehyde engajwayelekile iye yaqashelwa njengesinye sezici eziyinhloko zokukhubazeka kwengqondo okuhlobene nokuguga,” basho. “Ucwaningo lwethu lwangaphambilini lubike ngokuhlobana phakathi kwamazinga e-formaldehyde yomchamo kanye nokusebenza kwengqondo, okuphakamisa ukuthi i-formaldehyde yomchamo iyi-biomarker engaba khona yokuxilongwa kwe-AD kusenesikhathi.”
Kodwa-ke, kunethuba lokuthuthuka ekusetshenzisweni kwe-formaldehyde njenge-biomarker yokutholakala kwezifo kusenesikhathi. Ocwaningweni lwabo olushicilelwe muva nje, ithimba ligxile ku-formate, i-metabolite ye-formaldehyde, ukuze libone ukuthi isebenza kangcono yini njenge-biomarker.
Iqembu locwaningo lalihlanganisa abantu abangu-574, okuhlanganisa neziguli ezinesifo i-Alzheimer's esinobunzima obuhlukahlukene, kanye nabahlanganyeli bokulawula abaphilile ngokwengqondo. Abacwaningi bahlaziye amasampula omchamo negazi avela kubahlanganyeli ukuze babheke umehluko kuma-biomarker omchamo futhi benza ukuhlolwa kwengqondo. Abahlanganyeli bahlukaniswe ngamaqembu amahlanu ngokusekelwe ekuxilongweni kwabo: abantu abavamile ngokwengqondo (NC) abantu abangu-71, ukwehla kwengqondo okubonakalayo (SCD) abangu-101, ukukhubazeka okungekho komqondo okuphansi (CINM), ukukhubazeka kwengqondo okungu-131, ukukhubazeka kokuqonda okuphansi (MCI) abantu abangu-158, kanye nabangu-113 abane-BA.
Ucwaningo luthole ukuthi amazinga e-acid ye-urinary formic acid aphakeme kakhulu kuwo wonke amaqembu esifo se-Alzheimer futhi ahlobene nokwehla kwengqondo uma kuqhathaniswa nezilawuli ezinempilo, kufaka phakathi iqembu lokuqala lokwehla kwengqondo elizimele. Lokhu kusikisela ukuthi i-formic acid ingasebenza njenge-biomarker ebucayi esigabeni sokuqala se-AD. “Kulolu cwaningo, sibika okokuqala ukuthi amazinga e-acid ye-urinary formic acid ayashintsha ngokwehla kwengqondo,” kusho bona. “I-Urine formic acid ibonise ukusebenza okuyingqayizivele ekuxilongeni i-AD. Ngaphezu kwalokho, i-urinary formic acid yanda kakhulu eqenjini lokuxilongwa kwe-SCD, okusho ukuthi i-urinary formic acid ingasetshenziswa ekuxilongweni kwe-AD kusenesikhathi.”
Ngokuthakazelisayo, lapho abacwaningi behlaziya amazinga e-urine formate ahlanganiswe nama-biomarker e-Alzheimer's egazini, bathole ukuthi bangabikezela ngokunembile isigaba sesifo ezigulini. Kodwa-ke, kudingeka ucwaningo olwengeziwe ukuze kuqondwe ukuxhumana phakathi kwesifo se-Alzheimer's kanye ne-formic acid.
Kodwa-ke, abalobi baphetha ngokuthi: “Amazinga e-formate kanye ne-formaldehyde yomchamo awakwazi nje kuphela ukusetshenziselwa ukuhlukanisa i-AD ne-NC, kodwa futhi athuthukisa ukunemba kokubikezela kwama-biomarker e-plasma esigabeni sesifo se-AD. Ama-biomarker angaba khona okuxilongwa”.