HQ Team
March 21, 2025: A study from China adds to mounting evidence that semaglutide—a medication widely used for type 2 diabetes (Ozempic) and obesity (Wegovy)—could play a role in alleviating Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. The research reveals that semaglutide reduced toxic brain plaques, improved memory, and calmed harmful inflammation in mice engineered to develop Alzheimer’s-like pathology.
Researchers treated Alzheimer’s suffering mice known as 3xTg mice, with semaglutide for one month. Compared to untreated mice, those receiving the drug showed:
- Reduced amyloid-beta accumulation, a hallmark protein linked to neuron damage.
- Enhanced memory and learning, performing nearly as well as healthy mice in cognitive tests.
- Shifted microglia activity: Immune cells in the brain switched from a pro-inflammatory “attack” state (M1) to a protective, anti-inflammatory mode (M2), lowering neuroinflammation.
“Semaglutide significantly improved learning, memory, and cognitive behavior disorders in Alzheimer’s mice,” the team wrote, suggesting its potential to shield neurons by reprogramming immune responses.
Alzheimer’s affects over 55 million people globally, a number projected to triple by 2050. Current treatments, like amyloid-targeting drugs aducanumab and lecanemab, offer limited benefits and carry risks of brain swelling. Semaglutide’s dual action—tackling both amyloid buildup and inflammation—could address multiple drivers of the disease.
The bigger picture
This study aligns with prior research highlighting semaglutide’s neuroprotective effects in Parkinson’s and stroke. As a GLP-1 receptor agonist, it stabilizes blood sugar and curbs appetite, but its impact on brain inflammation opens new therapeutic avenues.
While promising, these findings are preclinical. Human trials are critical, and Phase 3 studies evaluating semaglutide in Alzheimer’s patients are already underway. If successful, this widely accessible drug could become a pivotal tool against a disease with no cure.
“The anti-inflammatory effect of semaglutide offers hope not just for slowing Alzheimer’s, but potentially preventing it,” the researchers noted. For millions at risk, this represents a beacon of hope.
The research has been published in Neuroscience.
