Lina Moammar

Investigating Diagnostic Capability of Acetylcholine Polymers for Detecting Alzheimer's Disease

Started Dec. 8, 2022

Abstract or project description

Acetylcholine (ACh) is an essential neurotransmitter in various physiological processes, including muscle contraction, memory, and learning. Previous research has shown that a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease is a deficiency of ACh at the synapse. A lack of ACh contributes to learning impairments which is a primary indicator of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Itaconic acid, acrylamide, and methacrylamide are all compounds that contain amide groups, which are nitrogen-containing chemical groups that can act as proton acceptors. ACh is also a compound that contains an amide group, which makes it capable of forming hydrogen bonds with other amide-containing compounds. Due to the presence of these amide groups, in silico simulations revealed that itaconic acid, acrylamide, and methacrylamide have an unusually energetically favorable tendency to form a complex with ACh. The strong binding affinity of ACh for these compounds is most likely due to the formation of multiple hydrogen bonds between the amide groups, resulting in a stable complex. The ability of itaconic acid, acrylamide, and methacrylamide to bind strongly to ACh makes them ideal candidates for use as biosensors. The formation of the complex between these compounds and ACh can be easily detected best using optical biosensor techniques such as fluorescence or mass spectrometry, allowing for highly sensitive and specific detection of ACh synapses and biological samples such as a spinal tap that can be used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease.