Resveratrol mogelijk ingezet als behandeling van sikkelcelziekte*
Omdat uit onderzoek blijkt dat
resveratrol, een bioactieve stof die vooral gevonden wordt in druiven en rode wijn, de productie van foetaal hemoglobine opgang doet brengen wordt nu een onderzoek gestart met dieren om te kijken of inderdaad resveratrol ontstekingen kan doen afnemen en de productie van foetaal hemoglobine op gang kan brengen en zo de ernst van sikkelcelziekte kan doen afnemen.
Red Grape Skin Extract Could Be New Treatment For Sickle Cell Disease PatientsAn
extract in red grape skin may be a new treatment for sickle cell disease,
Medical College of Georgia researchers say.
The extract, resveratrol, a natural chemical typically found in red wine and
various plants and fruits, has been found to induce production of fetal
hemoglobin, which decreases the sickling of red blood cells and reduces the
painful vascular episodes associated with the disease.
Most fetal hemoglobin production ceases after birth, but in patients where it
remains the predominant form, it can result in fewer complications, says Davies
Agyekum, a second-year Ph.D. student in the MCG School of Graduate Studies.
In sickle cell disease, abnormal hemoglobin causes red blood cells to sickle.
The abnormal shape impedes blood's passage through vessels and can cause
excruciating pain and other complications because of the blood's oxygen
deficiency.
Davies is working with Dr. Steffen E. Meiler, vice chair of research for the
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, on an eight-week animal
study to determine if the combined anti-inflammatory and fetal
hemoglobin-producing properties of resveratrol, a dietary polyphenol, can reduce
the severity of sickle cell disease.
Hydroxyurea, an anti-cancer agent and the only Food and Drug
Administration-approved therapeutic drug for sickle cell disease, increases
fetal hemoglobin. Davies says reseveratrol-based therapy might be easier on
patients.
The Ghana native recently received a three- to five-year $15,000 scholarship
from the Southern Regional Education Board State Doctoral Scholars Program, a
program aimed at increasing the number of minority students who earn doctoral
degrees and become college and university professors.
He is attending the organization's annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring in
Arlington, Va.to learn success skills and prepare for a university-level
teaching position.
"My ultimate career goal is to be in position where I can inspire future
generation through teaching and mentoring, so I am ecstatic about the
opportunity this scholarship presents," Davies says.
Davies earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Emmanuel College in Franklin
Springs, Ga., and hopes to stay in Georgia to teach.
Source:
Amy Connell
Medical College of Georgia (November
2009)
