A study in rats showed that a modified version of the peptide humanin, called HNG, can protect brain cells from the memory‑damaging effects of a small piece of the Alzheimer‑related amyloid‑beta protein. The protection seems to involve keeping certain cell‑survival signals (STAT3) active and preventing cell‑death signals (caspase‑3). However, the experiments used direct brain injections, not oral or injectable doses that people could realistically use.

Alzheimer disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by cognitive decline and the accumulation of senile plaques in the brain. Amyloid β protein (Aβ) in the plaques is thought to be responsible for the memory loss in AD patients. [Gly14]-humanin (HNG), a derivative of humanin (HN), has much stronger neuroprotective effects than natural HN in vitro. However, clarification of the Aβ active center and the neuroprotective mechanism of HN still need in vivo evidence. The present study first compared the in vivo biological effects of three Aβ fragments (1-42, 31-35, and 35-31) on spatial memory in rats, and investigated the neuroprotective effects and molecular mechanisms of HNG. The results showed that intrahippocampal injection of Aβ1-42 and Aβ31-35 almost equally impaired spatial learning and memory, but the reversed sequence Aβ35-31 did not have any effect; a high dose of Aβ31-35 (20 nmol) produced a more detrimental response than a low dose (2 nmol); Aβ31-35 injection also disrupted gene and protein expression in the hippocampus, with up-regulation of caspase3 and down-regulation of STAT3; pretreatment with HNG not only protected spatial memory but also rescued STAT3 from Aβ-induced disruption; and the neuroprotective effects of HNG were effectively counteracted by genistein, a specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor. These results clearly show that sequence 31-35 in Aβ is the shortest active center responsible for the neurotoxicity of Aβ from molecule to behavior; and HNG protects spatial learning and memory in rats against Aβ-induced insults; and probably involves the activation of tyrosine kinases and subsequent beneficial modulation of STAT3 and caspase3.