Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have made a groundbreaking discovery using used coffee grounds to potentially develop a cure for neurodegenerative diseases. Led by doctoral student Jyotish Kumar and overseen by Professor Mahesh Narayan, the team found that Carbon Quantum Dots derived from caffeic acid in coffee grounds could protect brain cells from damage caused by factors like obesity, age, and exposure to environmental toxins. The findings, published in Environmental Research, suggest a transformative treatment for neurodegenerative disorders, addressing the atomic and molecular roots of these conditions. The team’s experiments on Parkinson’s disease caused by pesticides showed the Caffeic-acid based Carbon Quantum Dots were neuroprotective, removing free radicals and inhibiting amyloid protein aggregation. The environmentally friendly process to extract these dots from coffee grounds, known as “green chemistry,” makes the approach both economical and sustainable. While acknowledging the journey ahead, the researchers are optimistic about developing a medication that could prevent the majority of neurodegenerative disorders not caused by genetics.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2023-11-coffee-grounds-key-neurodegenerative-diseases.html
