Homocysteic Acid Causes Alzheimerʹs Disease, Promotes Cancer Growth, and Induces Various Aging Processes

  1. Tohru Hasegawa
  2. Chiaki Kudoh
  3. Takeshi Tabira

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Abstract

It has been 125 years since Dr. Alzheimer of Germany first announced Alzheimer's disease to the world in 1900, yet the causative agent of this disease remains unidentified to this day. Through the efforts of many researchers, deposits of amyloid beta protein outside nerve cells and tau protein within nerve cells have been identified as the pathological hallmarks. These proteins have been suggested as the cause of Alzheimer's disease. However, even when amyloid is reduced through amyloid therapy, no recovery of cognitive function is observed. Currently, attention is focused on whether treatment targeting tau protein might lead to cognitive recovery. Yet, the reason why this tau protein accumulates within nerve cells remains unknown. We previously published in the 2010 issue of PLOS ONE that homocysteic acid (HCA), generated by the super-oxidation of the amino acid methionine via OH radicals, is a causative agent that produces amyloid and tau proteins and further induces cognitive decline. This time, we comprehensively reviewed how this HCA is related to various lifestyle-related diseases associated with aging, and is a factor determining lifespan beyond Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and aging itself. By reducing this HCA, we will explore the potential to extend healthy lifespan and curb the escalating costs of healthcare.

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  1. PREreview

    This Zenodo record is a permanently preserved version of a Structured PREreview. You can view the complete PREreview at https://prereview.org/reviews/17855621.

    Does the introduction explain the objective of the research presented in the preprint? Yes
    Are the methods well-suited for this research? Somewhat appropriate
    Are the conclusions supported by the data? Highly supported
    Are the data presentations, including visualizations, well-suited to represent the data? Somewhat appropriate and clear
    How clearly do the authors discuss, explain, and interpret their findings and potential next steps for the research? Somewhat clearly
    Is the preprint likely to advance academic knowledge? Highly likely
    Would it benefit from language editing? Yes
    Would you recommend this preprint to others? Yes, it's of high quality
    Is it ready for attention from an editor, publisher or broader audience? Yes, as it is

    Competing interests

    The author declares that they have no competing interests.

    Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    The author declares that they did not use generative AI to come up with new ideas for their review.

  2. Version published to 10.20944/preprints202512.0345.v1