Turmeric drug may benefit stroke victims--study
POSTED February 11, 2011 - 12:20 | POSTED BY Neharika Sabharwal
Last edited by Silky Chandvani on February 11, 2011 - 12:39
A stroke is a brain attack caused by a blood clot or rupture of blood vessels that disrupts the flow of blood to the brain.
As a consequence, cells become damaged and begin to die, resulting in part of the brain to stop functioning.
Sharlin Ahmed, research liaison officer at the Stroke Association, said, "When a stroke strikes, the brain is starved of oxygen causing brain cells to die or be damaged. There is a great need for new treatments which can protect brain cells after a stroke and improve recovery.
"The spice turmeric is known to have many health benefits, yet this is the first significant research to show that it could be beneficial to stroke patients by encouraging new cells to grow and preventing cell death after a stroke.”
The working of CNB-001
Researchers created a new molecule from curcumin, the chemical component of the popular spice turmeric and found the disabled nerve connections of brain cells exhibited promising signs of regeneration in animal studies.
According to scientists, curcumin itself is not effective because it is not well absorbed by the body and is unable to cross the blood brain barrier to reach the brain cells.
However, the new drug, called CNB-001, does not attack clots instead works by restoring the stroke damage at the molecular level that feed and sustain the vital brain cells, the neurons.
In laboratory experiments the drug showed promise in reducing muscle and mobility problems within an hour of a stroke attack. This suggests that CNB-001 might be effective up to three hours after the onset of a stroke in humans.
Paul Lapchak, director of translational research in the Department of Neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles stated, "CNB-001 has many of the same benefits of curcumin but appears to be a better choice of compound for acute stroke because it crosses the blood-brain barrier, is quickly distributed in the brain and moderates several critical mechanisms involved in neuronal survival.”
Only one approved drug for ischemic stroke
Currently, only one drug has been approved for treatment of ischemic stroke, which occurs when a clot blocks blood flow to the brain.
Known as a tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), the drug is injected intravenously to dissolve clots and restore blood flow.
The researchers are optimistic that the drug could move to human trials very soon.
Lapchak presented the findings at the 'American Heart Association International Stroke Conference.'
In:
