Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jul 14, 2026 55 minutes ago
Medical News: A medication long used to support brain health could one day offer new hope for people suffering from diabetic nerve damage, according to new research. Scientists found that choline alfoscerate not only eased nerve pain but also helped protect nerves from structural damage in laboratory animals, even though it did not lower blood sugar levels.
Researchers found that choline alfoscerate protected diabetic nerves and reduced pain even without lowering blood sugar
The research was conducted by scientists from the Department of Biosystems Engineering, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University (Seoul, South Korea), the Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Inha University (Incheon, South Korea), the Biomedical Research Institute, H+ Yangji General Hospital (Seoul, South Korea), and the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, University of Wisconsin–Madison (United States).
A Serious Diabetes Complication
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy affects millions of people worldwide. Persistently high blood sugar gradually damages nerves, especially in the feet and legs, causing burning pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, and loss of sensation. Current treatments mainly reduce pain but cannot stop nerves from deteriorating.
The researchers investigated whether choline alfoscerate, a compound already used in some countries for cognitive disorders, could actually protect nerves rather than simply mask symptoms.
Nerves Stayed Healthier Despite High Blood Sugar
Researchers induced diabetic peripheral neuropathy in rats and treated some animals with choline alfoscerate while others received pregabalin, a commonly prescribed medication for diabetic nerve pain.
Interestingly, choline alfoscerate did not reduce blood glucose levels. Despite this, treated animals became less sensitive to painful stimulation, indicating reduced nerve pain. Higher doses produced benefits comparable to pregabalin in relieving mechanical hypersensitivity.
This
Medical News report highlights one of the study's most important discoveries: the treatment appeared to work independently of blood sugar control. This suggests the drug may directly protect nerve tissue rather than acting through improved diabetes management.
Remarkable Protection of Damaged Nerves
Microscopic examination revealed some of the study's most striking findings. Untreated diabetic animals showed severe deterioration of the sciatic nerve, including nerve fiber degeneration, swelling, tissue disruption, and large empty spaces within the nerve structure.
Animals receiving choline alfoscerate showed much healthier nerve tissue. The higher-dose group displayed tightly organized nerve fibers, reduced swelling, fewer damaged areas, and nerve architecture that closely resembled healthy animals. These structural improvements were even more impressive than those seen with pregabalin, which mainly improve
d pain but offered less protection against physical nerve damage.
Additional Benefits Beyond Pain Relief
The researchers also discovered that diabetic animals developed extremely high triglyceride levels, a harmful blood fat increasingly linked to nerve damage. Choline alfoscerate significantly lowered triglycerides, bringing levels close to those seen in healthy animals.
Scientists believe this may represent another important mechanism behind its protective effects. Excess triglycerides contribute to oxidative stress, inflammation, poor blood flow, and damage to the cells that support nerves. Lowering these fats may therefore slow the progression of diabetic neuropathy even when blood sugar remains elevated.
The researchers believe choline alfoscerate may also help by supplying building blocks needed to repair nerve cell membranes and maintain the protective covering surrounding nerve fibers, allowing nerves to better withstand the ongoing stress caused by diabetes.
Conclusions
Although these findings were obtained in an animal model and human clinical trials are still needed, the results are highly encouraging. Choline alfoscerate demonstrated the rare ability to both reduce nerve pain and preserve nerve structure while also improving abnormal fat metabolism without lowering blood sugar. If future human studies confirm these benefits, the drug could become a valuable disease-modifying treatment that helps slow diabetic nerve damage rather than simply relieving symptoms.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Pharmaceuticals.
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/19/7/1076
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/diabetes
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