The old medicine turned over! The National Institutes of Health found a “blood lipid-lowering drug” that can treat brain injury and prevent brain necrosis by 33% 57
CNEWS confluence news network reporter Chen Junkai / report from Taipei
Car accidents, accidents, and traumatic brain injuries caused by external impacts in Taiwan each year exceed 650,000 cases, of which about 100,000 are moderate to severe brain injuries, which may leave long-term sequelae of neurological impairment or cognitive dysfunction. There is also a high risk of dementia. The National Institutes of Health announced the latest research results today (4th), and found that the blood lipid-lowering drug “Probucol” can be used as a new drug. Experiments on mice showed that after treatment with the drug, the area of brain necrosis was reduced by 33%, and the Improving cognitive function has become a new dawn in the treatment of traumatic brain injury.
The research team of Lin Xiufang, a researcher at the Institute of Cellular and Systems Medicine of the National Institutes of Health, used old drugs as a strategy to find clinical drugs that can promote nerve regeneration, and finally found probucol.
Lin Xiufang said that traumatic brain injury is extremely irreversible as far as the current scientific knowledge is concerned. At the moment when an external force hits the head, in addition to the death of local brain nerve cells, it also causes extensive damage to the brain neural network, including diffuse axonal damage, dendrite damage, etc. degeneration, and synaptic degeneration, etc., while adult brain neurons have limited ability to regenerate and plasticity. If other surviving nerve cells are used to replace them, axons and dendrites need to be repaired, and the brain neural network must be reorganized at a slow speed. , it is difficult to see a significant improvement.
According to statistics, about 100,000 patients with traumatic brain injury in China are moderate to severe brain injury. Survivors are often accompanied by sequelae such as neurological impairment and cognitive dysfunction. The five-year prognosis of hospitalized rehabilitation patients is only 26% improved, 22% remained unchanged, another 30% deteriorated, and even 22% died; and the risk of dementia after injury was more than 4 times higher than that of the general population.
Lin Xiufang pointed out that the blood lipid-lowering drug Probucol is a clinical drug for cardiovascular diseases. The research team first discovered in vitro cell experiments that Probucol has the characteristics of promoting neuroplasticity and neurodevelopment, and can promote the growth of brain neuron processes; Later experiments in mice showed that after brain injury, probucol was administered, the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor increased, the newborn nerve cells and proliferating neural precursor cells doubled, and the brain necrosis area decreased by 33%.
In addition, the research team also found in mouse experiments that after administration, the repair and reorganization of the brain neural network was also promoted, and the nerve dendrites and synapses around the necrotic brain area were greatly increased, which was related to the motor function after brain injury. Positive ratio, showing that probucol can improve neurological function after brain injury by promoting brain neuroplasticity.
Lin Xiufang emphasized that the results of this research are expected to improve the neurological and cognitive dysfunction caused by brain injury. In the future, if a suitable dose and course of treatment can be established in the clinical trial stage, it is expected to expand its application in the treatment of traumatic brain injury.
Photo source: CNEWS file photo/photographed by reporter Chen Junkai
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2023-09-04 03:02:36
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