PubMed · 2026-02-15
A natural compound called ponicidin, extracted from a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, shows strong promise against Alzheimer's disease by blocking a key protein that drives brain inflammation and a destructive form of cell death. Lab and animal studies confirm it can reduce disease markers and improve cognitive behavior in Alzheimer's mice.
Ponicidin binds directly to the RIPK1 protein with high affinity, confirmed by two independent methods (bio-layer interferometry and DARTS assay)
In lab cell models, ponicidin reduced inflammatory signaling in microglia (immune brain cells) and blocked necroptosis — a destructive form of cell death — in hippocampal neurons
In 5×FAD transgenic Alzheimer's mice, ponicidin improved outcomes across behavioral tests, histological (tissue) analysis, and biochemical disease markers