| |
| author |
Mira Elizabetty Cohen
| | title |
Investigating Potential Synergistic Effects of LM11A-31 and DCP-LA to Protect Neurons Under an Oxidative Stress Model of the Aging Brain : A Thesis in Neuroscience
| | abstract |
Aging, traditionally considered a natural developmental process, shares critical biological
hallmarks with pathological conditions (for example, Alzheimer's disease). Through an
exploration of what exactly these mechanisms are emerges a compelling case for aging's
reconsideration as a treatable condition. The effects of contemporary treatment methods for
neurodegenerative diseases are modest at best, delaying only symptom progression. Either
reversing damage already done or targeting the root causes before they develop requires a
restructuring of the discourse surrounding how these deficits occur in the first place. If aging is
considered as a process driven by modifiable cellular events, such as dysregulated oxidative
stress or dendritic atrophy, they can be therapeutically addressed before cognitive deficits
manifest. Highlighting the roles of two drugs that have only ever been analyzed independently of
one another, DCP-LA and LM11A-31, this study surveys their potential synergy on cell viability
and microtubule stability in neuronal cell culture under varying degrees of oxidative stress. This
study followed a Ferrous-Amyloid-Buthionine-NMDA (FABN) model of oxidative stress,
measuring viability via MTS assay and stability through immunocytochemistry. LM11A-31, by
modulating p75 neurotrophin receptor signaling, may mitigate apoptosis triggered by oxidative
stress and amyloid-beta toxicity. Similarly, DCP-LA is known to enhance PKC-ε's activity,
critical for synaptic plasticity, neurotransmitter release, and cytoskeletal stability. There is an
urgency to develop preventative interventions to offset both the projected economic burden of
neurodegenerative diseases as well as society's apprehension towards them, and these two drugs
working in tandem may be a step in the right direction in doing so.
| | school |
The College of Liberal Arts, Drew University
| | degree |
B.S. (2024)
|
| advisor |
Roger Knowles
|
| full text | MCohen.pdf |
| |
