"The Secrets of COVID `Brain Fog' are Starting to LIft" WIRED Jul 1, 2022

[pattismith]

@Hip
I did a new trial with minocycline, after you posted about CCL11, a few days ago...
(I already took a lot of minocycline when I was young but at that time it wasn't helpful for my daytime sleepiness)....

But now that I have fixed my iron deficiency (this has resolved most of my hyperalgesia and exercice intolerance), and that I take methylphenidate for my brain fog/attention deficit/sleepiness, minocycline works great to remove my persistent sleepiness!!

Let's hope I will tolerate it... I wish I could find an alternative solution, as minocycline can have side effects an even trigger auto-immunity...

 

[MonkeyMan]

I think the anthocyanins are in the blackcurrant fruit.

Yep, blackcurrants are extremely rich in anthocyanins, but so are many other berries, including blackberries, blueberries (especially WILD blueberries!), cranberries, raspberries, and strawberries, to name a few. There is nothing "magical" about blackcurrants vs these other berries; all of them are anthocyanin powerhouses. As a general rule, the darker the plant, the more anthocyanins it has. Other anthocyanin-rich foods include black lentils, blue corn, red cabbage, and blue potatoes.

Black lentils are especially rich in anthocyanins. Black lentils may be an "acquired taste" to some people, but I've found a way to cook them up that is incredibly delicious, easy and quick. Just 3 ingredients added to water and simmered on the stove for a couple of hours: black lentils, bouillon cubes, and this stuff. So tasty, and so good for you!

 

[MonkeyMan]

Here's another interesting study on microglia that just came out very recently. I've copied and pasted the abstract below. (For what it's worth, naringin supplements are readily available and not expensive. Or you can just eat lots of grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice!)

Abstract
Objective. Microglial BV-2 cells are activated in the brain following insomnia. Naringin (NAR) is a polymethoxylated flavonoid that is also commonly found in citrus fruits and is known for its antioxidant potential. However, the effect of NAR on microglial cells has rarely been studied in the brain of an organism after insomnia. This study aimed to investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of action of NAR on microglial cell activation and inflammation. Methods. BV-2 cells were obtained from the China Center for Type Culture Collection and randomly divided into five treatment groups: control, model, NAR (10 μM), WP1066 (5 μM), and NAR + WP1066. With the exception of the control group, all groups were stimulated with LPS (1 μg/mL) for 6 h. CCK8 was used to quantify cell viability and a scratch test was performed to detect cell migration. The expression levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), nterleukin 10 (IL-10), and insulin like growth factor (1IGF-1) were measured by ELISA. Western blotting was performed to determine the levels of p-STAT3 and p-JAK. The Focalcheck™ Thin-Ring Fluorescent Microspheres kit was used to detect cell phagocytosis. Immunofluorescence was used to observe the expression of iNOS and arginase1 in BV-2 cells. Results. Compared with the control group, cell migration, cell viability, and the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and iNOS were significantly increased in the model group, whereas the expression levels of IL-10, IGF-1, and arginase 1, as well as cell phagocytosis were reduced. With the increase in NAR concentration, cell migration, cell viability, the expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and iNOS decreased, while the expression of IL-10, IGF-1, and arginase 1 increased. Compared with the control group, p-STAT3, and p-JAK expression in the model group were significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the expression of p-STAT3 and p-JAK in the NAR, NAR + WP1066, and WP1066 groups was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Conclusion. NAR treatment inhibited the proliferation, migration, and inflammation of BV-2 cells as well as the activation of microglia to the M1 phenotype. Conversely, NAR treatment promoted the activation of microglia to the M2 phenotype and enhanced the phagocytic function of BV-2 cells by regulating the activity of the JAK/STAT3 pathway.

 

[Hip]

There is nothing "magical" about blackcurrants vs these other berries; all of them are anthocyanin powerhouses.

Yes, plenty of anthocyanins in other berries too.

But in this case, the context is finding substances which inhibit CCL11, as it has been suggested CCL11 may be linked to brain fog. A paper I mentioned earlier found that blackcurrant anthocyanins suppress CCL11.

Possibly other anthocyanins can suppress CCL11 too, but at least we know that blackcurrant anthocyanins definitely can.

 

[Alvin2]

Good to know, but disappointing
I'm going to take a glass of Ribena a day and see what happens during the next week.
Since it won't cost me anything i have little to lose and i get to enjoy one of my favourite juices

No idea if i have the dose right, what the half life is, if its standardized, if it crosses the blood brain barrier or not, but its delicious and low risk

Finished the bottle today but nothing positive to report, no effect as far as i can tell.

 

[Shanti1]

Moderator Note: Some Posts on Metformin and the brain fog associated chemokine CCL11 were relocated to an existing thread on the topic due to duplicate posts. You can find them here: https://forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/have-you-taken-metformin.88587/#post-2415011