New chemical research 'could protect against brain injury'RSS Feed

29 January 2010

A new class of chemical has been established that could help to protect against brain injuries resulting from strokes, seizures and Parkinson's disease.

The 7,8-dihydroxyflavone is a member of the flavonoid family and helps to protect neurons by sending survival signals to the brain, according to researchers from the Emory University School of Medicine.

Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers originally set out to find a way of mimicking the protein brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which has been shown to protect neurons against degeneration.

The 7,8-dihydroxyflavone chemical can be administered into the body cavity and still be effective in the brain, because it is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier.

Commenting on the findings, lead author professor Keqiang Ye said: "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.

"The trouble with BDNF is one of delivery. It's a protein, so it can't cross the blood-brain barrier and degrades quickly."

It comes after scientists at the University of Kentucky discovered that withaferin A could be used to treat brain injury, eye and spinal cord injuries in the future by combating two key proteins implicated in a damaging biological process.

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