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  • Title: Presence of D-alanine in proteins of normal and Alzheimer human brain.
    Author: D'Aniello A, Vetere A, Fisher GH, Cusano G, Chavez M, Petrucelli L.
    Journal: Brain Res; 1992 Oct 02; 592(1-2):44-8. PubMed ID: 1450921.
    Abstract:
    This report constitutes the first demonstration of the presence of D-alanine in the proteins of the human nervous system. Proteins of the frontal lobe white and gray matter of human brains, both normal and Alzheimer subjects, contain D-alanine at concentrations between 0.50 and 1.28 mumol/g of wet tissue, 50-70-times lower than the concentration of L-alanine. Both white and gray matter of Alzheimer brains contain D-alanine 1.4-times higher than the respective regions of normal brains. The gray matter proteins of Alzheimer brains show a highly significant 8% decrease in total alanine content, when compared with normal brain gray matter proteins. Since Alzheimer's disease is exhibited by deterioration of the gray matter, the occurrence of elevated D-alanine levels in the gray matter of Alzheimer brains is a significant discovery and raises the question whether this enantiomer causes the degeneration of the gray matter proteins in Alzheimer's disease, or whether it is an effect of the disease.
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