Potential stroke drug tested on mice
TPU scientists with colleagues from the USA are investigating a new compound to protect the brain from stroke
Scientists of the Laboratory for the Study of Neuroprotection Mechanisms of the RASA Center at Tomsk Polytechnic University, together with colleagues from the Center for Cardiovascular Research and the Department of Cardiology of the Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard Medical School, USA), are investigating a new compound that will protect the brain of patients from stroke after ischemia.
Ischemia is a lack of oxygen associated with partial or complete blockage of blood vessels, reducing their throughput. The main danger of ischemia is that it leads to oxygen starvation of certain organs and tissues of the body. Thus, the lack of oxygen in the brain is called cerebral ischemia. And the later the restoration of blood flow to the brain (reperfusion) occurs, the more severe the consequences of ischemia. In the worst case, it can lead to a stroke.
Recently, scientists from the USA and Tomsk Polytechnic University have discovered a new compound that protects the brain from the effects of ischemic and reperfusion injury.
We are talking about a new oxime, which is a double-acting organic compound: a nitric oxide (NO) donor and a c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor.
The introduction of this compound promotes the release of nitric oxide, which plays an important role in the human body.
Nitric oxide is an important molecule involved in the vital processes of our body. In the walls of blood vessels, nitric oxide is produced by endothelial cells. "Endothelial" nitric oxide is involved in the control of vascular tone, regulation of blood circulation and blood pressure in our body.
"It was found that in mice that received a therapeutic dose of the substance, there was a decrease (compared to mice that did not receive "treatment") of neurological disorders and the size of necrosis zones in the affected part of the brain already 48 hours after ischemia-reperfusion," says Dmitry Atochin, head of the Laboratory for studying the mechanisms of neuroprotection of TPU, Researcher at the Center for Cardiovascular Research and the Department of Cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard Medical School).
In the future, the scientist notes, with the help of a new substance, it will be possible not only to treat the consequences of ischemia and stroke, but also to help reduce the risks of their occurrence in patients with vascular diseases.
The developers intend to continue the research of the properties of the new substance in the Laboratory for Studying the mechanisms of Neuroprotection on the basis of the Tomsk Polytechnic University Science Park.
"TPU has a powerful scientific base, a strong research team that participated in the study of a new compound. In the future, with the participation of physicists of the university, we intend to check that the substance enters the brain through the blood-brain barrier, with the help of chemists, we plan to modify and synthesize a more specifically active compound with fewer side effects. In addition, we aim that scientists from Tomsk, the USA, China and a number of other countries will take part in the research. Thus, Tomsk Polytechnic University will become an international platform where the most interesting research will be conducted in the field of studying the mechanisms of neuroprotection of the brain," says Dmitry Atochin.
Scientists from Harvard University, Tomsk Polytechnic University, the E.D. Goldberg Research Institute of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine of the Tomsk NIMC RAS, Montana State University, Altai State Technical University, Baltic Federal University take part in the development.
Based on the results of international studies, a scientific article was published in the journal Neuroscience Letters – Atochin et al., A novel dual NO-donating oxime and c-Jun N-terminal kinase inhibitor protects against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice.
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01.09.2016