Adenosine News and Research

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Adenosine is a nucleoside composed of a molecule of adenine attached to a ribose sugar molecule (ribofuranose) moiety via a ß-N9-glycosidic bond.

Faulty cellular recycling may link pulmonary arterial hypertension to brain damage

A commentary in The Journal of Clinical Investigation examines evidence linking pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to cerebellar abnormalities, focusing on impaired lysosomal lipid metabolism, oxysterol accumulation, and microglial inflammation. Findings from human imaging, mouse models, and cultured cells suggest that NCOA7 may help protect against these changes, although the proposed mechanisms and therapeutic implications require further investigation.

4 Nov 2026

Spaceflight research opens new avenues for studying rare pediatric diseases

Earth-based hiPSC models have transformed disease research but remain limited by cellular immaturity, a strong reliance on glycolysis rather than oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and incomplete tissue architecture.

3 Nov 2026

Study identifies new target to improve ulcerative colitis treatments

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory bowel disease in which persistent mucosal inflammation damages the epithelial barrier.

3 Nov 2026

Targeting EGFR signaling to reduce mucus overproduction in lung diseases

Airway mucus is part of innate lung defense, but when production overwhelms clearance, it obstructs airflow and worsens disease.

2 Nov 2026

Mechanical force triggers metabolic changes that promote orthodontic bone formation

Bone adapts to mechanical force through coupled formation and resorption, a principle central to orthodontics.

30 Oct 2026

Ancient protein model shows early steps in energy metabolism

Researchers in Japan engineered ancestral nucleoside diphosphate kinase variants with restricted amino acid repertoires to explore alternative catalytic functions. One variant, Arc1-12KR, retained its protein fold despite lacking catalytic histidine and unexpectedly converted two ADP molecules into ATP and AMP. The findings reveal alternative catalytic potential in simplified proteins and offer clues to possible routes of energy metabolism during early protein evolution.

29 Oct 2026

Ketones may change sleep patterns, but not always for the better

Researchers reviewed animal and human studies and found that ketone bodies may affect sleep stages through energy metabolism and cellular signaling, with the clearest direct evidence involving acetoacetate in mice. They reported mixed human findings and called for controlled studies to separate ketone-specific effects from changes linked to diet, disease, circadian timing, and physiological stress.

28 Oct 2026

New study identifies protein factor linked to chronic liver disease

The mechanisms that cause the world's most common chronic liver disease — Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) — to develop and progress are not still fully understood.

20 Oct 2026

Year-long trial finds NAD-boosting supplement fails to improve early Parkinson's symptoms

In a phase 3 randomized clinical trial involving 410 people with early Parkinson disease, 52 weeks of nicotinamide riboside supplementation increased blood NAD levels but failed to improve clinical outcomes compared with placebo. Participants receiving the supplement had modestly worse overall disease scores, although the difference was below the threshold generally considered clinically meaningful.

12 Oct 2026

Why one gut microbe is attracting attention in heart failure research

Researchers found that chronic systolic heart failure caused by nonischemic cardiomyopathy was associated with reduced gut microbial diversity, depletion of Bifidobacterium, and lower microbial short-chain fatty acid production potential. Higher Bifidobacterium abundance and higher circulating indole-3-propionic acid levels were associated with milder disease and clinical improvement, although the findings do not establish causality.

27 Sep 2026

Could the Mediterranean diet protect the brain through the gut?

A narrative review finds that the Mediterranean diet may support brain health through gut microbiome, immune, metabolic, and barrier-related pathways, but direct human evidence that microbiome remodeling mediates neuroprotection remains limited. The proposed mechanisms involve microbial metabolites, reduced inflammatory signaling, stronger intestinal and blood-brain barrier function, and possible effects on processes linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

27 Sep 2026

Study identifies shared pathway driving cardiac fibrosis

Three adenosine receptor subtypes that normally send different signals were found to converge on a common pathway that activates cardiac fibroblasts, the scar-forming cells in the heart.

24 Sep 2026

Beetroot juice may make swimming feel easier without making swimmers faster

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 studies, with nine contributing data from 120 swimmers, found no significant improvement in swimming time-trial performance or post-exercise blood lactate with beetroot juice or dietary nitrate supplementation. Supplementation produced a small reduction in perceived exertion, but the effect varied across studies, and the certainty of evidence for swimming performance was low.

24 Sep 2026

KAIST team uncovers how neurons deliver RNA to distant regions

Much like a courier reading an address on a package, neurons must deliver RNA to the precise locations where it is needed.

15 Sep 2026

Early studies hint that ketones may affect pathways linked to PTSD

An integrative review found that ketogenic therapy may influence metabolic, inflammatory, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitter pathways implicated in PTSD, with animal studies and small human studies reporting early signs of symptom improvement. Human evidence remains limited to very small cohorts, case reports, and pilot studies, and controlled trials have yet to establish clinical efficacy.

11 Sep 2026

Psilocybin protects sensory nerves from chemotherapy damage in preclinical study

In mouse models, prophylactic psilocybin prevented or reduced multiple features of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, with cycle-matched dosing sustaining protection during repeated cisplatin exposure without measurably affecting tumor growth. Experiments in human-derived sensory neurons and ex vivo peripheral nerves linked the effect to 5-HT2A-dependent preservation of mitochondrial trafficking and local axonal energy supply, while a nonhallucinogenic 5-HT2A agonist reproduced protection against mechanical hypersensitivity.

6 Sep 2026

Coffee, tea and dementia risk: Why the amount you drink could matter

A targeted perspective synthesizes epidemiological and mechanistic evidence examining how caffeine consumption during midlife may influence dementia risk later in life. The authors highlight potential roles for dose, age, CYP1A2 genotype, adenosine signaling and cultural drinking practices, while stressing that current observational evidence cannot establish causality.

3 Sep 2026

Modified AlphaFold3 successfully predicts complex protein conformational changes

Conformational changes in proteins are vital to their function yet remain challenging for state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, such as AlphaFold3, to predict.

1 Sep 2026

Can caffeine make you mentally sharper in the morning? This study tested the idea

In a controlled crossover study of 51 recreationally active young men with low habitual caffeine intake, researchers tested whether 300 mg of caffeine taken about an hour before morning testing affected cognition, mood, temperature, appetite, and related outcomes, with reactive agility assessed in 27 participants. Caffeine did not improve cognitive or reactive agility performance or meaningfully alter mood, tiredness, appetite, or thermoregulation under the study conditions.

27 Aug 2026

Mitochondrial transplantation helps repair donor organs during machine perfusion

Transplant medicine still depends on a limited supply of donor organs, while many retrieved grafts are discarded because ischemia, cold storage, and reperfusion can rapidly damage their cells.

25 Aug 2026