Russia separates drugs for treating brain trauma from squid liver

Reporter : Dong Yingpi / Publisher : Science & Technology Daily / http://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2021/2/453353.shtm / Direct translation

 

Researchers from the National Marine Biology Research Center of the Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences isolated a highly active compound of polyunsaturated fatty acids from squid liver. Animal experiments show that the compound can promote neuronal recovery and inhibit the inflammatory response after craniocerebral trauma, showing a high curative effect on craniocerebral injury. The research results were recently published in the journal "Science Reports".

Craniocerebral trauma is considered to be one of the most dangerous injuries because it can lead to impaired cognitive, physical and mental functions. At the same time, about 80% of cases are mild injuries, accompanied by prolonged neuroinflammation (brain inflammation), and the patients themselves can hardly find this inflammation. In this case, lack of timely treatment can lead to complex pathological conditions, such as neuronal death, inattention, persistent headaches, and weakened muscle tone.

Medicine has found that microglia are responsible for the inflammatory response of traumatic brain injury. After injury, the immune response is activated and microglia begin to recover in the affected area. However, in severe cases, the immune response exacerbates the course of the disease due to excessive inflammation. Therefore, it is necessary to use supplementary drugs to affect microglia and regulate the activity of pro-inflammatory cells.

Russian researchers have discovered in the study of compounds derived from marine organisms that Synaptamide is a metabolite similar to neurotransmitters, which can promote the formation of new nerve cells and synapses and the elongation of axons, that is, the axon transfers signals from The process of neuron transmission to other cells in the chain.

To obtain synaptoamide, the researchers used polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrate obtained from squid liver and further synthesized docosahexaenoic acid. Docosahexaenoic acid is a part of the cell membrane of nerve tissue, and it is the most important component of the new drug, used to eliminate the consequences of traumatic brain injury.

Russian researchers are testing and researching new drugs in rat experiments. Researchers tracked changes in rats' anxiety and tested their long-term and short-term memory. Experiments have found that Synaptamide can improve rat long-term memory and reduce anxiety, and can also inhibit the activity of pro-inflammatory microglia and reduce the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines.