Trial shows hope for MCI treatment among older adults  

Western Sydney University’s NICM Health Research Institute has led a clinical trial in Australia for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among older people.

The trial’s results, published in Alzheimer's and Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment and Disease Monitoring, a journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, signal the efficacy and safety of Sailuotong (SLT), a novel herbal extract, as a potential treatment for MCI.

According to the trial, participants taking SLT showed improvements in aspects of memory and executive function, including delayed episodic memory retrieval, switching between cognitive concepts, higher-level divided attention and multitasking, compared to those in the trial taking the placebo.

The study was led by Associate Professor Genevieve Steiner-Lim, a NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at NICM Health Research Institute.

“Our findings are very promising as they show that even after a relatively short treatment period of just 12 weeks, SLT can support important aspects of memory and thinking in people with mild cognitive impairment. It is also well-tolerated,” Steiner-Lim said.

The herbal medicine has been developed as part of a longstanding collaboration between NICM Health Research Institute and Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing, with the trial showing promise in addressing various aspects of MCI pathophysiology, such as its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiapoptotic and cholinergic-enhancing properties.

The 12-week randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled pilot phase II trial included 78 participants aged 60 years and older diagnosed with MCI. The participants were randomly assigned to receive 180 mg/day capsule of SLT or a placebo.

According to the study, after the 12 weeks, participants receiving SLT demonstrated improvement in Logical Memory delayed recall scores compared to the placebo group, and SLT treatment improved performance in executive function tasks. The medicine was well-tolerated, with a low incidence of mild or moderate adverse events.

“More investment in this research is needed. The next step is to conduct another trial with a larger sample size and longer treatment period to test whether SLT can be used to treat mild cognitive impairment and potentially delay a diagnosis of dementia,” Steiner-Lim said.

Findings suggest that SLT may serve as a supportive therapy for memory and executive function in people with MCI. Currently, there are no approved pharmaceutical interventions for MCI, and existing Alzheimer’s disease treatments are not considered safe or effective. Further research is required to determine the long-term benefits and to understand the clinical implications of SLT.

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