Date:
September
25, 2014
Source:
BioMed
Central
Summary:
A
bioactive compound found in turmeric promotes stem cell proliferation and
differentiation in the brain, reveals new research. The findings suggest
aromatic turmerone could be a future drug candidate for treating neurological
disorders, such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease.
A
bioactive compound found in turmeric promotes stem cell proliferation and
differentiation in the brain, reveals new research published today in the open
access journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy. The findings suggest
aromatic turmerone could be a future drug candidate for treating neurological
disorders, such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease.
The
study looked at the effects of aromatic (ar-) turmerone on endogenous neutral
stem cells (NSC), which are stem cells found within adult brains. NSC
differentiate into neurons, and play an important role in self-repair and
recovery of brain function in neurodegenerative diseases. Previous studies of ar-turmerone
have shown that the compound can block activation of microglia cells. When
activated, these cells cause neuroinflammation, which is associated with
different neurological disorders. However, ar-turmerone's impact on the brain's
capacity to self-repair was unknown.
Researchers
from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in Jülich, Germany, studied the
effects of ar-turmerone on NSC proliferation and differentiation both in vitro
and in vivo. Rat fetal NSC were cultured and grown in six different
concentrations of ar-turmerone over a 72 hour period. At certain
concentrations, ar-turmerone was shown to increase NSC proliferation by up to
80%, without having any impact on cell death. The cell differentiation process
also accelerated in ar-turmerone-treated cells compared to untreated control
cells.
To
test the effects of ar-turmerone on NSC in vivo, the researchers injected adult
rats with ar-turmerone. Using PET imaging and a tracer to detect proliferating
cells, they found that the subventricular zone (SVZ) was wider, and the
hippocampus expanded, in the brains of rats injected with ar-turmerone than in
control animals. The SVZ and hippocampus are the two sites in adult mammalian
brains where neurogenesis, the growth of neurons, is known to occur.
Lead
author of the study, Adele Rueger, said: "While several substances have
been described to promote stem cell proliferation in the brain, fewer drugs
additionally promote the differentiation of stem cells into neurons, which
constitutes a major goal in regenerative medicine. Our findings on aromatic
turmerone take us one step closer to achieving this goal."
Ar-turmerone
is the lesser-studied of two major bioactive compounds found in turmeric. The
other compound is curcumin, which is well known for its anti-inflammatory and
neuroprotective properties.
end
text
Story Source:
The
above story is based on materials
provided by BioMed Central. Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length.
end
story_source
Journal Reference:
1 Joerg Hucklenbroich,
Rebecca Klein, Bernd Neumaier, Rudolf Graf, Gereon Fink, Michael Schroeter,
Maria Rueger. Aromatic-turmerone induces neural stem cell proliferation in
vitro and in vivo. Stem Cell Research & Therapy, 2014; 5 (4):
100 DOI: 10.1186/scrt500
end
journal_references
Cite This Page:
• MLA
APA
Chicago
BioMed
Central. "Turmeric compound boosts regeneration of brain stem cells."
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 September 2014.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140925205819.htm
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