(Press-News.org) Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have previously documented that substances from the South African plant species Crinum and Cyrtanthus – akin to snowdrops and daffodils – have an effect on the mechanisms in the brain that are involved in depression. This research has now yielded further results, since a team based at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences has recently shown how several South African daffodils contain plant compounds whose characteristics enable them to negotiate the defensive blood-brain barrier that is a key challenge in all new drug development.
"Several of our plant compounds can probably be smuggled past the brain's effective barrier proteins. We examined various compounds for their influence on the transporter proteins in the brain. This study was made in a genetically-modified cell model of the blood-brain barrier that contains high levels of the transporter P-glycoprotein. Our results are promising, and several of the chemical compounds studied should therefore be tested further, as candidates for long-term drug development," says Associate Professor Birger Brodin.
"The biggest challenge in medical treatment of diseases of the brain is that the drug cannot pass through the blood-brain barrier. The blood vessels of the brain are impenetrable for most compounds, one reason being the very active transporter proteins. You could say that the proteins pump the drugs out of the cells just as quickly as they are pumped in. So it is of great interest to find compounds that manage to 'trick' this line of defence."
The results of the study have been published in the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology.
New cooperation between biologists and organic chemists
It will nonetheless be a long time before any possible new drug reaches our pharmacy shelves:
"This is the first stage of a lengthy process, so it will take some time before we can determine which of the plant compounds can be used in further drug development," says Birger Brodin.
Yet this does not curb his enthusiasm for the opportunities from the interdisciplinary cooperation with organic scientists from the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology and the Natural History Museum of Denmark.
"In my research group, we have had a long-term focus on the body's barrier tissue – and in recent years particularly the transport of drug compounds across the blood-brain barrier. More than 90 per cent of all potential drugs fail the test by not making it through the barrier, or being pumped out as soon as they do get in. Studies of natural therapies are a valuable source of inspiration, giving us knowledge that can also be used in other contexts," Birger Brodin emphasises.
INFORMATION:
South African daffodils may be a future cure for depression
Pharmaceutical research
2012-06-22
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Maths tells us when to be more alert on the roads
2012-06-22
Technicians from Madrid City Council and a team of Pole and Spanish researchers have analysed the density and intensity of traffic on Madrid's M30 motorway (Spain) throughout the day. By applying mathematical algorithms, they have verified that drivers should pay more attention to the road between 6pm and 8pm to avoid accidents.
Detection devices installed by the Department of Traffic Technologies of Madrid City Council on the M30 motorway and its access roads were used to conduct a scientific study. Researchers from SICE, the traffic management company in charge of ...
Michael Edelstein to Lead Licensing Practice at The Marketing Store
2012-06-22
The Marketing Store Worldwide, one of the world's largest privately held global brand activation agencies, announced today that Michael Edelstein has joined the agency as vice president, director of brand partnerships.
Edelstein joins The Marketing Store from Learning Curve Brands, Inc where he was vice president, Preschool division. Edelstein will be based at The Marketing Store's Chicago office where he brings his licensing and partnership expertise to brand activations that The Marketing Store produces for its leading CPG (consumer packaged goods) and QSR (quick ...
Higher quality of life seen among regular moderate drinkers than among abstainers
2012-06-22
Data from a nationally representative sample of 5,404 community-dwelling Canadians ages 50 and older at baseline (1994/1995) was used to estimate the effects of alcohol drinking patterns on quality of life when subjects were aged =50 years and after a follow-up period. Health-related quality of life was assessed with the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3). The authors report that most participants showed stable alcohol-consumption patterns over 6 years.
Detailed information was available on the participants alcohol consumption. Moderate drinkers were defined as ...
iResumed Video Resumes-- The New Way to Present to Your Future Employer
2012-06-22
iResumed.com announces the launch of their online web-site, providing job-seekers the ability to link a video to their resumes, and employers with the ability to screen job candidates more effectively. The Video resume site provides a bridge between the traditional resume of the past and the video resume of the future by making them both work together.
"Video resumes have received a lot of consideration but have provided little value to the employer," explains Mike Mead, President, and Founder of iResumed.com. "Besides seeing what someone looks like and ...
Research: Many programs to help diabetics manage their health do work
2012-06-22
According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, more than nine million Canadians have diabetes or prediabetes. By 2020, it's estimated that diabetes will cost the Canadian healthcare system $16.9 billion a year.
"Although clinicians, managers and policy makers expend significant time and resources attempting to optimize care for patients with diabetes, the optimum approach to improving diabetes care and outcomes remains uncertain," Dr. Tricco said.
Her review of clinical trials found:
For patients with high levels of HbA1c – the average blood sugar level over ...
Grb2 holds powerful molecular signaling pathway in check
2012-06-22
HOUSTON - Once considered merely a passive link between proteins that matter, Grb2 - pronounced "grab2" - actually lives up to its nickname with its controlling grip on an important cell signaling pathway, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in the June 22 issue of Cell.
"Grb2 is a switch that controls normal signaling through the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)," said the paper's senior author, John Ladbury, Ph.D., professor in MD Anderson's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
"Perhaps the best way to think ...
Popular Food Blog Relaunches With Major Makeover
2012-06-22
After taking a year off from blogging for work and family reasons, former magazine editor Aun Koh has re-launched his ultra-popular food and gourmet-travel blog, Chubby Hubby (www.chubbyhubby.net). The blog has a worldwide audience, prior to Koh's hiatus, up to 90,000 unique visitors and over 3 million hits per month.
Chubby Hubby returns with a complete redesign and now boasts a striking visual aesthetic that fluidly adapts to all devices. This makes browsing through Chubby Hubby equally easy and pleasurable, no matter if one's using a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone. ...
Infection biology: The elusive third factor
2012-06-22
Researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich have identified an enzyme that is involved in a modification pathway that is essential for bacterial pathogenicity. Because it shows no similarity to other known proteins, it may be an ideal target for development of novel antimicrobial drugs.
Studies on a number of pathogenic bacteria have shown that these strains become pathogenic only when an enzyme called elongation factor P (EF-P) is chemically modified on a conserved lysine residue. EF-P is a universally conserved translation factor, which is involved ...
Earth observation for us and our planet
2012-06-22
The Rio+20 summit on promoting jobs, clean energy and a more sustainable use of our planet's resources closed today after three days of talks. During the summit, the role of Earth observation in sustainable development was highlighted.
In 1992, a blueprint to rethink economic growth, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection was adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Now, 20 years later, the Rio+20 Summit brought participants from governments, the private sector, non-govermental organisations and other stakeholders once again to Brazil ...
New technique allows simulation of noncrystalline materials
2012-06-22
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A multidisciplinary team of researchers at MIT and in Spain has found a new mathematical approach to simulating the electronic behavior of noncrystalline materials, which may eventually play an important part in new devices including solar cells, organic LED lights and printable, flexible electronic circuits.
The new method uses a mathematical technique that has not previously been applied in physics or chemistry. Even though the method uses approximations rather than exact solutions, the resulting predictions turn out to match the actual electronic ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Burn grasslands to maintain them: What is good for biodiversity?
Ventilation in hospitals could cause viruses to spread further
New study finds high concentrations of plastics in the placentae of infants born prematurely
New robotic surgical systems revolutionizing patient care
New MSK research a step toward off-the-shelf CAR T cell therapy for cancer
UTEP professor wins prestigious research award from American Psychological Association
New national study finds homicide and suicide is the #1 cause of maternal death in the U.S.
Women’s pelvic tissue tears during childbirth unstudied, until now
Earth scientists study Sikkim flood in India to help others prepare for similar disasters
Leveraging data to improve health equity and care
Why you shouldn’t scratch an itchy rash: New study explains
Linking citation and retraction data aids in responsible research evaluation
Antibody treatment prevents severe bird flu in monkeys
Polar bear energetic model reveals drivers of polar bear population decline
Socioeconomic and political stability bolstered wild tiger recovery in India
Scratching an itch promotes antibacterial inflammation
Drivers, causes and impacts of the 2023 Sikkim flood in India
Most engineered human cells created for studying disease
Polar bear population decline the direct result of extended ‘energy deficit’ due to lack of food
Lifecycle Journal launches: A new vision for scholarly publishing
Ancient DNA analyses bring to life the 11,000-year intertwined genomic history of sheep and humans
Climate change increases risk of successive natural hazards in the Himalayas
From bowling balls to hip joints: Chemists create recyclable alternative to durable plastics
Promoting cacao production without sacrificing biodiversity
New £2 million project to save UK from food shortages
SCAI mourns Frank J. Hildner, MD, FSCAI: A founder and leader
New diagnostic tool will help LIGO hunt gravitational waves
Social entrepreneurs honored for lifesaving innovations
Aspects of marriage counseling may hold the key to depolarizing, unifying the country, study finds
With $2 million in new funding, Montana State research lab continues explorations into viruses and honeybee health
[Press-News.org] South African daffodils may be a future cure for depressionPharmaceutical research