Alkaloid from Black Pepper Shows Promising Results Against Neurological Disorder

Alkaloid from Black Pepper Shows Promising Results Against Neurological Disorder

  • Research Stash
  • News
  • 1.4K

Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Indore have found that piperine, a natural alkaloid present in black pepper, can be used as a therapeutic agent against neurodegenerative disorder, Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS).

The disorder results in progressive cerebellar ataxia, action tremor, Parkinsonism and cognitive decline. It is caused by a mutation in a gene called fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) and occurs due to the excessive presence of what are called repeats RNA in a specific region of the gene.

In patients with FXTAS, the number of repeat RNA could be up to 200, as against normal 55. The excess repeats RNA cause cytotoxicity in neuronal cells. Scientists have been trying to modulate the mutation with chemical molecules but with no success so far.

The IIT Indore team has found that piperine interacts with repeats RNA and reduces the level of cytotoxicity in neuronal cells, in preliminary studies. “We chose piperine as it is widely reported for its anti-carcinogenic activity, hepato-protection, antioxidant, nephron-protective, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-depressant and neuroprotective nature. Our analysis revealed its selectivity towards repeats RNA that are primarily responsible for FXTAS,” explained Dr. Amit Kumar, leader of the research team.

The study has been conducted with two different cell lines derived from patients suffering from FXTAS. These cell lines contained repeats RNA and also exhibited the disease characteristics.

Commenting on the work, Dr. Krishnananda Chattopadhyay from CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, who was not involved in the study, said, “development of a therapeutic solution for CGC repeats is important for the treatment of different diseases, including FXTAS. The therapeutic potential of piperine has been tested in FXTAS patient-derived cell lines. These results are interesting but need to be validated further using suitable animal models.”

Besides Dr. Amit Kumar, the team included Arun Kumar Verma, Eshan Khan, Subodh Kumar Mishra, and Neha Jain. The study results have been published in journal ACS Chemical Neurosciences. (India Science Wire)

By Sunderarajan Padmanabhan

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for the latest Science & Tech news. You can also find us on Twitter & Facebook.

Rate

The IIT Indore team has found that piperine interacts with repeats RNA and reduces the level of cytotoxicity in neuronal cells, in preliminary studies. “We chose piperine as it is widely reported for its anti-carcinogenic activity, hepato-protection, antioxidant, nephron-protective, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-depressant and neuroprotective nature. Our analysis revealed its selectivity towards repeats RNA that are primarily responsible for FXTAS,” explained Dr. Amit Kumar, leader of the research team.

The study has been conducted with two different cell lines derived from patients suffering from FXTAS. These cell lines contained repeats RNA and also exhibited the disease characteristics.

Commenting on the work, Dr. Krishnananda Chattopadhyay from CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, who was not involved in the study, said, “development of a therapeutic solution for CGC repeats is important for the treatment of different diseases, including FXTAS. The therapeutic potential of piperine has been tested in FXTAS patient-derived cell lines. These results are interesting but need to be validated further using suitable animal models.”

Besides Dr. Amit Kumar, the team included Arun Kumar Verma, Eshan Khan, Subodh Kumar Mishra, and Neha Jain. The study results have been published in journal ACS Chemical Neurosciences. (India Science Wire)

By Sunderarajan Padmanabhan

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for the latest Science & Tech news. You can also find us on Twitter & Facebook.

" }
CSIR Launches ‘Aarogyapath’, A Portal to Strengthen Healthcare Supply Chain

CSIR Launches ‘Aarogyapath’, A Portal to Strengthen Healthcare Supply Chain

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has launched AarogyaPath, a web-based solution for the healthcare supply chain, which provides real-time availability of critical supplies.

  • News
  • 1.6K
Read more
Scientists Make Magnetic Graphene for Next Gen Digital Devices

Scientists Make Magnetic Graphene for Next Gen Digital Devices

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad and the University of Hyderabad have shown that graphene can be made magnetic with the control on electric field and temperature. They have shown this in single layer zigzag graphene nanoribbons.

  • News
  • 3K
Read more
Lack of Awareness and Timely Intervention Resulting in Leprosy Disabilities

Lack of Awareness and Timely Intervention Resulting in Leprosy Disabilities

Delay in the detection of leprosy symptoms is leading to a high proportion of visible deformities among the patients, a new study has shown

  • News
  • 1.4K
Read more

Internet is huge! Help us find great content

Newsletter

Never miss a thing! Sign up for our newsletter to stay updated.

About

Research Stash is a curated collection of tools and News for S.T.E.M researchers

Have any questions or want to partner with us? Reach us at hello@researchstash.com

Navigation

Submit