Nerve cells threatened by stroke or degenerative diseases can have a surprising new ally - microscopic spheres of carbon called buckyballs. A study published in Proceedings of the American Academy of Sciences tomorrow describes how buckyballs modified - that absorb nerve-destroying chemicals -. Delaying the onset of symptoms in mice suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease
[1945001radicaux] natural molecules called free wreak havoc in cells in part by tearing electrons from DNA and other sensitive biological molecules. They have been implicated in the neurodegenerative the Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. When Laura Dugan, a neurologist at Washington University in St. Louis, learned that buckyballs absorb free radicals, she designed experiments to test whether buckyballs could slow nerve cell death.standard buckyballs do not since they dissolve only work in highly toxic compounds such as benzene. Instead, Dugan used fullerenes modified by six pairs of soluble molecules in the carboxylic acid from water. Dugan and her colleagues added these antioxidant buckyballs to cultured neurons that have been deprived of oxygen and glucose (which occurs after a stroke) for one hour. Buckyballs cut neuronal death by 75%.
Dugan also buckyballs pumped into the cavity of mice bred to mimic the stomach to Lou Gehrig's disease. Untreated, these mice became progressively weaker in the doe and forelegs. They end up losing all muscle control, and die after about 130 days. The mice that received the modified buckyballs had their symptoms delayed 10 days and survived 8-10 days longer than untreated mice.
The discovery shows that buckyballs "act as an effective antioxidant," sweeping free radicals, said Jonathan Gitlin, a pediatric neurologist at the University of Washington. As free radicals have been implicated in many diseases, he says that modified buckyballs have broad therapeutic potential.
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