Cheap Treatment For Diarrhea On The Cards?

Researchers at Houston’s University of Texas Health Science Center have come across a new compound that could provide the breakthrough for cheap and easy diarrhea treatment. The compound has been identified as a derivative of pyridopyrimidine and works on enterotoxigenic bacteria strains like E. coli.

Enterotoxigenic bacteria strains are responsible for acute secretory diarrhea. They cause this condition by developing toxins that irritate the intestinal linings and make them secrete extra fluid, which is what triggers the diarrhea.

The compound was tested on animals during the course of pre-clinical tests. The animals were infected with bacteria that cause diarrhea. When the new compound was introduced as treatment, there was a significant reduction in the secretion of fluid in the intestine.

That was not all. During tests on human cells in the laboratory, the new compound was seen to bring down the level of fluid secretion. Also, the tests confirmed there was nothing to indicate that the compound in question had any toxic side effects.

In a statement, the senior author of the study, Dr. Ferid Murad, said, “While this research looks extremely promising as a preventive or therapeutic intervention in Third World diarrheal disease and traveler's diarrhea, much work remains to be done to move into clinical trials and eventual therapeutic approval.”

According to Dr. Murad, the compound could also be used to manufacture a drug for treating other ailments such as inflammatory bowel disease and certain endocrine disorders. Other scientists and researchers sounded optimistic about the findings.

A cellular signaling expert at Houston’s University of Texas Medical School, Dr. Stanley G. Schultz, said, “An inexpensive drug that could block the intestinal secretory pathway, with minimal side effects, would be a 'magic bullet' that would not only save millions of lives in many parts of the developing world, but would also save the billions of dollars that are lost annually because of diarrhea throughout the world.”

Calling the discovery of the new compound promising, Dr. Schultz further added, “It would truly be a treatment of diarrhea rather than a treatment of the consequences of diarrhea.” He was not involved in the study.

The new compound, if found to be really effective, could be a huge blessing for developing countries, as diarrhea is a major disease in these countries. A WHO report states that at least 1.6 to 2.5 million children die of diarrhea each year.