Snake venom helps researchers find way to prevent Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s – Times of India
BENGALURU: A new study reveals how researchers studying snake venom have future therapeutic applications for the prevention and treatment of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). have found ways to potentially influence
Researchers at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST) designed two peptides (short chains of amino acids) inspired by snake venom neurotrophins (proteins that regulate the development, maintenance, and function of the vertebrate nervous system) to prevent neurological disorders such as PD and AD. And promise to cure.
The study was conducted by a team from IASST-Guwahati, an institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST). That drugs or effective treatments are still lacking to prevent, slow, or prevent PD and AD—some of the most common neurodegenerative disorders—has stimulated the exploration of hypotheses about the molecular and cellular processes that lead to neurodegeneration. are made
“Professor Ashish Kumar Mukherjee, Director, IASST, and his team have worked on snake venom and found it a treasure house of drug prototypes for various biomedical applications. They can be adapted into prototypes of life-saving drug candidates, such as cancer, heart disease, and Covid-19. They found the nerve growth potential of snake venom, a minor component of the venom Mukherjee And his group,” said DST.
“It has neurogenesis properties (stimulating the sprouting of neurites from a single cell) by binding to the Tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA) receptor, the high-affinity nerve growth factor receptor of rat pheochromocytoma PC-12 cells. “However, drug development from local venom of snake venom is problematic,” said DST.
To overcome this problem, Mukherjee and his colleagues developed two new custom peptides (commercially produced peptides for use in biomedical laboratories)— TNP and HNP—snake venom-induced neurotrophin.
“These peptides show selective binding to the human TrkA receptor of nerve cells and can therefore improve the selectivity and specificity of drug molecules towards the receptor, thereby increasing the therapeutic potency of these drug molecules. Mukherjee emphasizes that peptides’ low molecular weight, structural stability, small size, and target sensitivity make them powerful tools to overcome the limitations of using endogenous neurotrophins as therapeutic agents,” DST said. added.
DST said this drug-like peptide could potentially slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases before proceeding with an entirely new strategy. This treatment will be more effective for people with fewer symptoms in the early stages of the disease.
“Their study will be extended from the Parkinson’s model to other neurodegenerative diseases and will require pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics studies to develop safe drug models. The investigators have filed an Indian patent, and the study is currently underway. has been published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine (Elsevier),” added DST.
Researchers at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST) designed two peptides (short chains of amino acids) inspired by snake venom neurotrophins (proteins that regulate the development, maintenance, and function of the vertebrate nervous system) to prevent neurological disorders such as PD and AD. And promise to cure.
The study was conducted by a team from IASST-Guwahati, an institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST). That drugs or effective treatments are still lacking to prevent, slow, or prevent PD and AD—some of the most common neurodegenerative disorders—has stimulated the exploration of hypotheses about the molecular and cellular processes that lead to neurodegeneration. are made
“Professor Ashish Kumar Mukherjee, Director, IASST, and his team have worked on snake venom and found it a treasure house of drug prototypes for various biomedical applications. They can be adapted into prototypes of life-saving drug candidates, such as cancer, heart disease, and Covid-19. They found the nerve growth potential of snake venom, a minor component of the venom Mukherjee And his group,” said DST.
“It has neurogenesis properties (stimulating the sprouting of neurites from a single cell) by binding to the Tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA) receptor, the high-affinity nerve growth factor receptor of rat pheochromocytoma PC-12 cells. “However, drug development from local venom of snake venom is problematic,” said DST.
To overcome this problem, Mukherjee and his colleagues developed two new custom peptides (commercially produced peptides for use in biomedical laboratories)— TNP and HNP—snake venom-induced neurotrophin.
“These peptides show selective binding to the human TrkA receptor of nerve cells and can therefore improve the selectivity and specificity of drug molecules towards the receptor, thereby increasing the therapeutic potency of these drug molecules. Mukherjee emphasizes that peptides’ low molecular weight, structural stability, small size, and target sensitivity make them powerful tools to overcome the limitations of using endogenous neurotrophins as therapeutic agents,” DST said. added.
DST said this drug-like peptide could potentially slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases before proceeding with an entirely new strategy. This treatment will be more effective for people with fewer symptoms in the early stages of the disease.
“Their study will be extended from the Parkinson’s model to other neurodegenerative diseases and will require pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics studies to develop safe drug models. The investigators have filed an Indian patent, and the study is currently underway. has been published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine (Elsevier),” added DST.