adminDrug Trials researchers have identified a compound that mimics one of the brain’s own growth factors and can protect brain cells against damage in several animal models of neurological disease.
7,8-dihydroxyflavone is a member of the flavonoid family of chemicals, which are abundant in fruits and vegetables. The compound’s selective effects suggest that it could be the founder of a new class of brain-protecting drugs.
The results were published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Drug Trials Investigators at Emory University School of Medicine, led by Keqiang Ye, PhD, associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, were searching for a way to mimic a protein found in the brain called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor).
“BDNF has been studied extensively for its ability to protect neurons vulnerable to degeneration in several diseases, such as ALS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease,” Ye says. “The trouble with BDNF is one of delivery. It’s a protein, so it can’t cross the blood-brain barrier and degrades quickly.”
Drug Trials Excerpt : http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/177138.php
Teresa Hampton
Sikander@87
