Tamarind seeds may offer cure for damaged brain cells

People with spinal injuries and brain diseases are sometimes left with permanent disabilities because damage to the nerve cells, networks of neurons in the brain, and spinal cord are considered beyond repair.

According to the experts, damage control and regeneration of the injured membranes is not viable because of the toxic environment left behind after nerves are severed from the central pattern generators.

Andrew says, “Nerve cells are sensitive, and will only grow in the most supportive of environments.

“After injury, new cells cannot normally penetrate into the empty space left after mass cell death. Cells clump at the edges, forming an impenetrable barrier. This leaves the centre of the wound as a lesion, which contains chemicals that kill growing nerves.”

Experiment on rats
Andrew Rodda and his team involved in biomaterials research investigated xyloglucan, a plant-based compound derived from the seeds of the tamarind tree.

They discovered that the tamarind derivative which plays a crucial role in linking cells together within the plants is capable of targeting damaged membranes.

The researchers started experimenting on rats. They found that xyloglucan when injected as a liquid into the damaged site turned into gel form upon reaching body temperature.

Once implanted into the brains of the animals, the researchers found that the biomaterial acts as a major support system through which the molecules migrate to the injured site and latch on to the nervous system.

Andrew stated, “The material provides a temporary scaffold on which new cells can grow and penetrate the lesion.”

Re-growth of damaged nerve cells
A close scrutiny of the tissues revealed the gel not only led to re-growth of the damaged membranes in the brain, but it also kept the inflammation around the injured area that continues to destroy nerves long after the initial damage has been done in check.

The scientists found the astrocytes, the major support cells in the central nervous system, were the first to enter into the implanted gel.

Experts theorize that these cells secrete vital chemicals, which may have helped create an environment in which the delicate nerve cells can flourish.

Andrew’s study is being presented for the first time in public through Fresh Science, a communication boot camp for early career scientists held at the Melbourne Museum.