According to Wikipedia, "the term MRSA or methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is used to describe those examples of Staphylococcus aureus that are resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Methicillin was an antibiotic used many years ago to treat patients with Staphylococcus aureus infections. It is now no longer used except as a means of identifying this particular type of antibiotic resistance".
K.S.Parthasarathy
Contact: SCI Press Office
press@soci.org
44-020-759-81588
Society of Chemical Industry
Instant steam takes on MRSA
A method for making instant steam, without the need for electricity, promises to be useful for tackling antibiotic resistant ‘superbugs’ like MRSA and C. difficile, as well as removing chewing gum from pavements and powering environmentally friendly cars, reports Nina Morgan in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI. ‘The value of instant steam lies in creating truly portable steam that can be generated intermittently on demand,’ says Dave Wardle, business development director at Oxford Catalysts.
The company is already in talks with UK specialist steam supplier OspreyDeepclean about possible applications for steam cleaning hospitals, Wardle adds. An as-yet unpublished 2006 study at University College London Hospital, commissioned by OspreyDeepclean, showed that dry steam applied at temperatures ranging from 150 to 180 C could destroy bacteria, including MRSA and Clostridium difficile, in less than two seconds, without the use of chemicals.
The new technology, devised by scientists at UK firm Oxford Catalysts, employs a precious metal catalyst to generate the steam at temperatures up to 800 C in just a couple of seconds, at room temperature and pressure. Steam produced by the technology is so-called ‘dry’ steam, generated by the highly exothermic reaction between methanol and hydrogen peroxide. While too expensive to replace the vast quantities of steam used routinely by industry, a reaction chamber the size of a sugar cube can pump steam at a rate of 7L/minute at temperatures up to 800 C.
The first application is likely to be a GumBuster backpack for removing chewing gum from pavements and other surfaces. The patented GumBuster technology currently requires a minimum of 3kW of electrical power to generate the steam used by each operator and relies on generators carried on trolleys or vans. Use of the catalyst technology ‘will make the system more portable and make it possible to place the steam when we need it, where we need it,’ says Thomas Stuecken, chief commercial officer at Proventec, the parent company of OspreyDeepclean.
Other more speculative applications for the steam for powering rockets and cars, and to provide mobile and portable power generation, are currently being considered.
###
About Chemistry & Industry
Chemistry & Industry magazine from SCI delivers news and comment from the interface between science and business. As well as covering industry and science, it focuses on developments that will be of significant commercial interest in five- to ten-years time. Published twice-monthly and free to SCI Members, it also carries authoritative features and reviews. Opinion-formers worldwide respect Chemistry & Industry for its independent insight.
About SCI
SCI is a unique international forum where science meets business on independent, impartial ground. Anyone can join, and the Society offers a chance to share information between sectors as diverse as food and agriculture, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, environmental science and safety. As well as publishing new research and running events, SCI has a growing database of member specialists who can give background information on a wide range of scientific issues. Originally established in 1881, SCI is a registered charity with members in over 70 countries.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Tumor painting revolutionizes fight against cancer
The painting techniques if developed adequately will revolutionize sugery. Surgeons will be able to identify cancer cells and remove them without practically any danage to healthy tissues.
Currently,the painting technique has been applied to mice tumours. It may take a while before it will be ready for human applications.
Parthasarathy
Public release date: 15-Jul-2007
[ Print Article | E-mail Article | Close Window ]
Contact: Jennifer Seymour
jennifer.seymour@seattlechildrens.org
206-987-5207
Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center of Seattle
Tumor painting revolutionizes fight against cancer
Researchers develop Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 enabling surgeons to see cancer cells 500 times better than an MRI
SEATTLE: July 15, 2007 -- A tumor paint developed by researchers at Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center will help surgeons see where a tumor begins and ends more precisely by illuminating the cancerous cells. The study, published in the July 15, 2007 issue of Cancer Research, shows that the tumor paint can help surgeons distinguish between cancer cells and normal brain tissue in the operating room. The paint is a scorpion-derived peptide called chlorotoxin that is linked to the molecular beacon Cy5.5.Until now there has been no way to allow surgeons to see tumors “live” during surgery.
Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 is a fluorescent molecular beacon that emits photons in the near infrared spectrum. This illumination gives surgeons a better chance of removing all of the cancerous cells during surgery without injuring surrounding healthy tissue. This is particularly significant in the brain, where approximately 80% of malignant cancers recur at the edges of the surgical site. Current technology, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can distinguish tumors from healthy tissue only if more than 1 million cancer cells are present. But Cy5.5 can identify tumors with as few as 2000 cancer cells, making it 500 times more sensitive than MRI.
"My greatest hope is that tumor paint will fundamentally improve cancer therapy,” said James M. Olson, MD, PhD, of Seattle Children’s Hospital and The Hutchison Center who is the senior author of the study. “By allowing surgeons to see cancer that would be undetectable by other means, we can give our patients better outcomes.”
Olson led the team that included neurosurgeons, engineers and biologists. The bioconjugate, Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 which, when injected, emits a near-infrared light, was created in his laboratory at the Hutchinson Center. In mouse models, the team demonstrated that they could light up brain tumors as small as 1 millimeter in diameter without lighting up the surrounding normal brain tissue. In a prostate cancer model, as few as 200 cancer cells traveling in a mouse lymph channel could be detected.
Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 is applicable to many cancers, but is especially helpful to surgeons operating on brain tumors. Not only would it reveal whether they’d left behind any bits of tumor, it would also help them avoid removing normal tissue. Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 activates within hours and it begins binding to cancer cells within minutes. The Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 signal lasts for 14 days, illuminating cancer cells. Contrast agents currently in use only last for a few minutes.
“I feel fortunate to be working with gifted scientists to bring this revolutionary imaging technique from the laboratory to the bedside,” said Richard Ellenbogen, MD, Pediatric Neurosurgeon, Seattle Children's Hospital and co-investigator on the study. “This development has the potential to save lives and make brain tumor resection safer.”
Surgery remains a primary form of cancer therapy. Despite advances in surgical tools, surgeons currently rely on color, texture or blood supply to differentiate tumor from normal tissue, a distinction that is often subtle and imperfect. The limitations of this method contribute to cancer growth or patient mortality that is potentially preventable. The tumor painting technique combines a visual guide for the surgeon with the potential for significant improvement in accuracy and safety.
Tumor painting has been successfully tested in mice and the pilot safety trials are complete. Olson and his team are preparing the necessary toxicity studies before seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials. Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 could be used in operating rooms in as little as 18 months. All clinical studies will have consenting adult participants.
Olson and his team believe that Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 has the potential to be used in the future as a non-invasive screening tool for early detection of skin, cervical, esophageal, colon and lung cancers. It is also useful in identifying positive lymph nodes which could mean a significant advancement for breast, prostate and testicular cancers.
###
Children’s and the Hutchison Center’s role as leading research institutions is underscored by their membership in the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC), a group of 10 medical centers selected by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The consortium’s members were chosen by the NCI based on their experience, dedication to research and quality of patient care.
Other Children’s and Hutchison Center researchers on the team include Mandana Veiseh, PhD; Patrik Gabikian, S-Bahram Bahrami, PhD; Omid Veiseh, Miqin Zhang, Robert C. Hackman, MD; Ali C. Ravanpay, Mark R. Stroud, PhD; Yumiko Kusuma, Stacey J. Hansen, Deborah Kwok, Nina M. Munoz, PhD; Raymond W. Sze, MD; William M. Grady, MD; and Norman M. Greenberg, PhD.
About Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Seattle, Wash.
At the forefront of pediatric research, the Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle conducts research under nine major centers and is internationally recognized for its discoveries in cancer, genetics, health services, immunology, pathology, infectious disease and vaccines. Consistently ranked as one of the best children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Children's serves as the pediatric referral center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Children's has been delivering superior patient care for 100 years, including advancing new discoveries and treatments in pediatric research, and serving as a primary teaching, clinical and research site for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. For more information about the Institute visit http://research.seattlechildrens.org/.
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, our interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Our researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health, knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information, please visit fhcrc.org.
Currently,the painting technique has been applied to mice tumours. It may take a while before it will be ready for human applications.
Parthasarathy
Public release date: 15-Jul-2007
[ Print Article | E-mail Article | Close Window ]
Contact: Jennifer Seymour
jennifer.seymour@seattlechildrens.org
206-987-5207
Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center of Seattle
Tumor painting revolutionizes fight against cancer
Researchers develop Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 enabling surgeons to see cancer cells 500 times better than an MRI
SEATTLE: July 15, 2007 -- A tumor paint developed by researchers at Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center will help surgeons see where a tumor begins and ends more precisely by illuminating the cancerous cells. The study, published in the July 15, 2007 issue of Cancer Research, shows that the tumor paint can help surgeons distinguish between cancer cells and normal brain tissue in the operating room. The paint is a scorpion-derived peptide called chlorotoxin that is linked to the molecular beacon Cy5.5.Until now there has been no way to allow surgeons to see tumors “live” during surgery.
Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 is a fluorescent molecular beacon that emits photons in the near infrared spectrum. This illumination gives surgeons a better chance of removing all of the cancerous cells during surgery without injuring surrounding healthy tissue. This is particularly significant in the brain, where approximately 80% of malignant cancers recur at the edges of the surgical site. Current technology, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can distinguish tumors from healthy tissue only if more than 1 million cancer cells are present. But Cy5.5 can identify tumors with as few as 2000 cancer cells, making it 500 times more sensitive than MRI.
"My greatest hope is that tumor paint will fundamentally improve cancer therapy,” said James M. Olson, MD, PhD, of Seattle Children’s Hospital and The Hutchison Center who is the senior author of the study. “By allowing surgeons to see cancer that would be undetectable by other means, we can give our patients better outcomes.”
Olson led the team that included neurosurgeons, engineers and biologists. The bioconjugate, Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 which, when injected, emits a near-infrared light, was created in his laboratory at the Hutchinson Center. In mouse models, the team demonstrated that they could light up brain tumors as small as 1 millimeter in diameter without lighting up the surrounding normal brain tissue. In a prostate cancer model, as few as 200 cancer cells traveling in a mouse lymph channel could be detected.
Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 is applicable to many cancers, but is especially helpful to surgeons operating on brain tumors. Not only would it reveal whether they’d left behind any bits of tumor, it would also help them avoid removing normal tissue. Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 activates within hours and it begins binding to cancer cells within minutes. The Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 signal lasts for 14 days, illuminating cancer cells. Contrast agents currently in use only last for a few minutes.
“I feel fortunate to be working with gifted scientists to bring this revolutionary imaging technique from the laboratory to the bedside,” said Richard Ellenbogen, MD, Pediatric Neurosurgeon, Seattle Children's Hospital and co-investigator on the study. “This development has the potential to save lives and make brain tumor resection safer.”
Surgery remains a primary form of cancer therapy. Despite advances in surgical tools, surgeons currently rely on color, texture or blood supply to differentiate tumor from normal tissue, a distinction that is often subtle and imperfect. The limitations of this method contribute to cancer growth or patient mortality that is potentially preventable. The tumor painting technique combines a visual guide for the surgeon with the potential for significant improvement in accuracy and safety.
Tumor painting has been successfully tested in mice and the pilot safety trials are complete. Olson and his team are preparing the necessary toxicity studies before seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials. Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 could be used in operating rooms in as little as 18 months. All clinical studies will have consenting adult participants.
Olson and his team believe that Chlorotoxin:Cy5.5 has the potential to be used in the future as a non-invasive screening tool for early detection of skin, cervical, esophageal, colon and lung cancers. It is also useful in identifying positive lymph nodes which could mean a significant advancement for breast, prostate and testicular cancers.
###
Children’s and the Hutchison Center’s role as leading research institutions is underscored by their membership in the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC), a group of 10 medical centers selected by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The consortium’s members were chosen by the NCI based on their experience, dedication to research and quality of patient care.
Other Children’s and Hutchison Center researchers on the team include Mandana Veiseh, PhD; Patrik Gabikian, S-Bahram Bahrami, PhD; Omid Veiseh, Miqin Zhang, Robert C. Hackman, MD; Ali C. Ravanpay, Mark R. Stroud, PhD; Yumiko Kusuma, Stacey J. Hansen, Deborah Kwok, Nina M. Munoz, PhD; Raymond W. Sze, MD; William M. Grady, MD; and Norman M. Greenberg, PhD.
About Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Seattle, Wash.
At the forefront of pediatric research, the Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle conducts research under nine major centers and is internationally recognized for its discoveries in cancer, genetics, health services, immunology, pathology, infectious disease and vaccines. Consistently ranked as one of the best children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Children's serves as the pediatric referral center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Children's has been delivering superior patient care for 100 years, including advancing new discoveries and treatments in pediatric research, and serving as a primary teaching, clinical and research site for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. For more information about the Institute visit http://research.seattlechildrens.org/.
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, our interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Our researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health, knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information, please visit fhcrc.org.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Chromosome glue repairs damaged DNA
Public release date: 13-Jul-2007
The following paper addresses an important phenomena. Information on the mechanism of cell division and repair of damaged cells is of priceless value in cancer research.
Parthasarathy
Contact: Dr. Camilla Sjögren
camilla.sjogren@ki.se
46-070-821-4838
Karolinska Institutet
Chromosome glue repairs damaged DNA
When a strand of DNA breaks in the body's cells, it normally does not take long until it has been repaired. Now researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have discovered a new mechanism that helps to explain how the cell performs these repairs. The results are presented in Science.
The new results are concerned with a phenomenon called cohesion, whereby two copies of a chromosome in the cell nucleus are held tightly together by a protein complex called cohesin. Cohesion fulfils an important function during cell division as the newly copied chromosomes, the sister chromatids, have to stay together until the right moment of separation. If the chromatids come apart too early, there is a risk of the daughter cells getting the wrong number of chromosomes, something that is often observed in tumour cells.
Dr Camilla Sjögren and her research team have now shown that the cell also employs cohesion to repair damaged sister chromatids. Their results show that DNA damage can reactivate cohesin, which runs counter to the commonly held view that cohesion only arises during the DNA copying that takes place before cell division.
Scientists have long been fascinated by the way in which the duplicated chromosomes are separated before cell division so that exactly half the copied genetic material ends up in each daughter cell. Another large research question is how cells repair damaged DNA and consequently prevent cancer, for example.
"We have shown that chromosome segregation and DNA repair are partly dealt with by the same machinery. These findings provide new understanding of two fundamental cellular mechanisms and may also be of value to cancer research," says Dr Sjögren.
###
Publication:
"Post-replicative formation of cohesion is required for repair and induced by a single DNA break"
Lena Ström, Charlotte Karlsson, Hanna Betts Lindroos, Sara Wedahl, Yuki Katou, Katsuhiko Shirahige and Camilla Sjögren
Science, 13 July 2007
For further information, please contact:
Press Officer Katarina Sternudd
Tel: +46 (0)8 524 838 95
Mobile: +46 (0) 70 224 38 95
Email: katarina.sternudd@ki.se
Karolinska Institutet is one of the leading medical universities in Europe. Through research, education and information, Karolinska Institutet contributes to improving human health. Each year, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. For more information, visit ki.se
The following paper addresses an important phenomena. Information on the mechanism of cell division and repair of damaged cells is of priceless value in cancer research.
Parthasarathy
Contact: Dr. Camilla Sjögren
camilla.sjogren@ki.se
46-070-821-4838
Karolinska Institutet
Chromosome glue repairs damaged DNA
When a strand of DNA breaks in the body's cells, it normally does not take long until it has been repaired. Now researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have discovered a new mechanism that helps to explain how the cell performs these repairs. The results are presented in Science.
The new results are concerned with a phenomenon called cohesion, whereby two copies of a chromosome in the cell nucleus are held tightly together by a protein complex called cohesin. Cohesion fulfils an important function during cell division as the newly copied chromosomes, the sister chromatids, have to stay together until the right moment of separation. If the chromatids come apart too early, there is a risk of the daughter cells getting the wrong number of chromosomes, something that is often observed in tumour cells.
Dr Camilla Sjögren and her research team have now shown that the cell also employs cohesion to repair damaged sister chromatids. Their results show that DNA damage can reactivate cohesin, which runs counter to the commonly held view that cohesion only arises during the DNA copying that takes place before cell division.
Scientists have long been fascinated by the way in which the duplicated chromosomes are separated before cell division so that exactly half the copied genetic material ends up in each daughter cell. Another large research question is how cells repair damaged DNA and consequently prevent cancer, for example.
"We have shown that chromosome segregation and DNA repair are partly dealt with by the same machinery. These findings provide new understanding of two fundamental cellular mechanisms and may also be of value to cancer research," says Dr Sjögren.
###
Publication:
"Post-replicative formation of cohesion is required for repair and induced by a single DNA break"
Lena Ström, Charlotte Karlsson, Hanna Betts Lindroos, Sara Wedahl, Yuki Katou, Katsuhiko Shirahige and Camilla Sjögren
Science, 13 July 2007
For further information, please contact:
Press Officer Katarina Sternudd
Tel: +46 (0)8 524 838 95
Mobile: +46 (0) 70 224 38 95
Email: katarina.sternudd@ki.se
Karolinska Institutet is one of the leading medical universities in Europe. Through research, education and information, Karolinska Institutet contributes to improving human health. Each year, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. For more information, visit ki.se
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Brightly colored birds most affected by Chernobyl radiation
Brightly coloured birds are among the species most adversely affected by the high levels of radiation around the Chernobyl nuclear plant, ecologists have discovered. The findings – published online in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology – help explain why some species are harder hit by ionising radiation than others.
Dr Anders Møller of the Université Pierre et Marie Curie and Professor Timothy Mousseau of the University of South Carolina examined 1,570 birds from 57 different species in the forests around Chernobyl at varying distances from the reactor. They found that populations of four groups of birds – those whose red, yellow and orange plumage is based on carotenoids, those that laid the biggest eggs, and those that migrated or dispersed the furthest – declined more than other species.
The intriguing results centre on the role of antioxidants – chemicals that help protect living organisms from the damaging effects of free radicals. Certain activities use up large amounts of antioxidants. These include producing carotenoid-based pigments for feathers, migrating long distances and laying large eggs (birds lay down antioxidants in their eggs, and will deposit larger amounts of antioxidants in larger eggs). Møller and Mousseau hypothesized that because they had fewer antioxidants left to mop up dangerous free radicals, these birds would most adversely affected by exposure to radiation around Chernobyl.
According to Møller and Mousseau: “We found that bird species differed in their response to radiation from Chernobyl. The strongest declines in population density with radiation level were found for species with carotenoid-based plumage, long-distance migration and dispersal, and large eggs for their body size. All four of these factors are associated with antioxidant levels, suggesting that reduced antioxidant levels may cause population declines when species are exposed to radiation.”
Among the brightly coloured species most affected were orioles, blackbirds and blue tits, while drab species like tree pipits, coal tits and chaffinches were much less affected. Long distance migrants or dispersers that were most affected included quails, orioles, hoopoes, blackbirds and robins, while non-migrant or short-dispersing species like great tits, coal tits and song thrushes were much less affected.
“This is the first study linking the effects of radiation on population size of different species to antioxidant defence. Although all species must cope with the potentially detrimental effects of free radicals, because of their use of antioxidants, certain species are predisposed to suffer most from these negative effects,” they say.
The results could have important implications for other animals elsewhere. According to Møller and Mousseau: “There is large variation in natural levels of radioactivity due to differences in the abundance of radioactive isotopes, mainly in mountain regions where the underlying rock reaches the surface. There are no studies of the biological consequences of such variation in natural levels of radioactivity, but we suggest that some of the consequences can be predicted from the present study.”
Dr Anders Møller of the Université Pierre et Marie Curie and Professor Timothy Mousseau of the University of South Carolina examined 1,570 birds from 57 different species in the forests around Chernobyl at varying distances from the reactor. They found that populations of four groups of birds – those whose red, yellow and orange plumage is based on carotenoids, those that laid the biggest eggs, and those that migrated or dispersed the furthest – declined more than other species.
The intriguing results centre on the role of antioxidants – chemicals that help protect living organisms from the damaging effects of free radicals. Certain activities use up large amounts of antioxidants. These include producing carotenoid-based pigments for feathers, migrating long distances and laying large eggs (birds lay down antioxidants in their eggs, and will deposit larger amounts of antioxidants in larger eggs). Møller and Mousseau hypothesized that because they had fewer antioxidants left to mop up dangerous free radicals, these birds would most adversely affected by exposure to radiation around Chernobyl.
According to Møller and Mousseau: “We found that bird species differed in their response to radiation from Chernobyl. The strongest declines in population density with radiation level were found for species with carotenoid-based plumage, long-distance migration and dispersal, and large eggs for their body size. All four of these factors are associated with antioxidant levels, suggesting that reduced antioxidant levels may cause population declines when species are exposed to radiation.”
Among the brightly coloured species most affected were orioles, blackbirds and blue tits, while drab species like tree pipits, coal tits and chaffinches were much less affected. Long distance migrants or dispersers that were most affected included quails, orioles, hoopoes, blackbirds and robins, while non-migrant or short-dispersing species like great tits, coal tits and song thrushes were much less affected.
“This is the first study linking the effects of radiation on population size of different species to antioxidant defence. Although all species must cope with the potentially detrimental effects of free radicals, because of their use of antioxidants, certain species are predisposed to suffer most from these negative effects,” they say.
The results could have important implications for other animals elsewhere. According to Møller and Mousseau: “There is large variation in natural levels of radioactivity due to differences in the abundance of radioactive isotopes, mainly in mountain regions where the underlying rock reaches the surface. There are no studies of the biological consequences of such variation in natural levels of radioactivity, but we suggest that some of the consequences can be predicted from the present study.”
Monday, July 9, 2007
Pumpkin: a fairytale end to insulin injections
After reading this item you may very well buy pumpkin when you visit the vegetable market next time.Buy ripe ones as they are likely to contain more antioxidants.There is as yet no proof that we will be benefitted. But I can assure you that we will not be harmed if we add pumpkin to our dishes.
Public release date: 8-Jul-2007
[ Print Article | E-mail Article | Close Window ]
Contact: Hannah Cole
press@soci.org
44-020-759-81588
Society of Chemical Industry
Pumpkin: A fairytale end to insulin injections?
Compounds found in pumpkin could potentially replace or at least drastically reduce the daily insulin injections that so many diabetics currently have to endure. Recent research reveals that pumpkin extract promotes regeneration of damaged pancreatic cells in diabetic rats, boosting levels of insulin-producing beta cells and insulin in the blood, reports Lisa Richards in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI.
A group, led by Tao Xia of the East China Normal University, found that diabetic rats fed the extract had only 5% less plasma insulin and 8% fewer insulin-positive (beta) cells compared to normal healthy rats (Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 87(9) 1753-7 2007).
Xia says: ‘pumpkin extract is potentially a very good product for pre-diabetic persons, as well as those who have already developed diabetes.’ He adds that although insulin injections will probably always be necessary for these patients, pumpkin extract could drastically reduce the amount of insulin they need to take.
David Bender, sub-dean at the Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, says: ‘this research is very exciting… the main finding is that feeding pumpkin extract prevents the progressive destruction of pancreatic beta-cells… but it is impossible to say whether pumpkin extract would promote regeneration in humans.’ He added: ‘I think the exciting thing is that this may be a source of a medication that could be taken by mouth.’
The protective effect of pumpkin is thought to be due to both antioxidants and D-chiro-inositol, a molecule that mediates insulin activity. Boosting insulin levels has the effect of lowering blood sugar levels, which reduces levels of oxidative oxygen species that damage beta-cell membranes, preventing further damage and allowing for some regeneration. Beta cells levels in the diabetic rats are, however, unlikely ever to reach that of controls, because some of the cells will have been damaged beyond repair.
Diabetes affects more than 230m people, almost 6% of the world's adult population, according to the World Diabetes Foundation. The rats used in this study represent type I diabetes, but the researchers believe the pumpkin extract may also play a role in type II diabetes.
Public release date: 8-Jul-2007
[ Print Article | E-mail Article | Close Window ]
Contact: Hannah Cole
press@soci.org
44-020-759-81588
Society of Chemical Industry
Pumpkin: A fairytale end to insulin injections?
Compounds found in pumpkin could potentially replace or at least drastically reduce the daily insulin injections that so many diabetics currently have to endure. Recent research reveals that pumpkin extract promotes regeneration of damaged pancreatic cells in diabetic rats, boosting levels of insulin-producing beta cells and insulin in the blood, reports Lisa Richards in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI.
A group, led by Tao Xia of the East China Normal University, found that diabetic rats fed the extract had only 5% less plasma insulin and 8% fewer insulin-positive (beta) cells compared to normal healthy rats (Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 87(9) 1753-7 2007).
Xia says: ‘pumpkin extract is potentially a very good product for pre-diabetic persons, as well as those who have already developed diabetes.’ He adds that although insulin injections will probably always be necessary for these patients, pumpkin extract could drastically reduce the amount of insulin they need to take.
David Bender, sub-dean at the Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, says: ‘this research is very exciting… the main finding is that feeding pumpkin extract prevents the progressive destruction of pancreatic beta-cells… but it is impossible to say whether pumpkin extract would promote regeneration in humans.’ He added: ‘I think the exciting thing is that this may be a source of a medication that could be taken by mouth.’
The protective effect of pumpkin is thought to be due to both antioxidants and D-chiro-inositol, a molecule that mediates insulin activity. Boosting insulin levels has the effect of lowering blood sugar levels, which reduces levels of oxidative oxygen species that damage beta-cell membranes, preventing further damage and allowing for some regeneration. Beta cells levels in the diabetic rats are, however, unlikely ever to reach that of controls, because some of the cells will have been damaged beyond repair.
Diabetes affects more than 230m people, almost 6% of the world's adult population, according to the World Diabetes Foundation. The rats used in this study represent type I diabetes, but the researchers believe the pumpkin extract may also play a role in type II diabetes.
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