Thursday, November 28, 2019

Magnesium Deprivation Stops Pathogen Growth


Image result for salmonella


Researchers have found that one of the cell's defense mechanisms against pathogens is to deprive it of magnesium, therefore disrupting the pathogen's growth. It had been previously noted that the NRAMP1 transporter protein had been effective in giving increased resistance to Salmonella (pictured above), but they now understand that the reason for that is that the protein pumps magnesium out of the vesicles of the cells. The scientists believe that drugs that reduce pathogen ability to get magnesium could be used to give host cells the advantage over pathogens.

I think it is amazing what our cells are capable of doing to keep us safe. This observation can lead to some incredible research for the future, including the drugs they were talking about in the article and on some of the other cell defense mechanisms. I would be very interested in reading more on this subject matter.

Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191121141347.htm
Related Article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4521020/

4 comments:

  1. It's fascinating how organisms and pathogens are reliant on the smallest things to keep them functioning. This shows how various deficiencies an individual may have can have more of an effect on their bodies than initially thought, such as an iron or zinc deficiency in humans. If magnesium deprivation can kill pathogens, it shows just how important paying attention to our mineral intake and levels is.

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  2. This is a very interesting read. Curious to see how these observations can lead to some incredible research for the future

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  3. This is a very interesting read. Curious to see how these observations can lead to some incredible research for the future

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  4. This is a really interesting read and shows why we need to be conscious of the vitamins and minerals we intake. I didn't think much about the impact those things could play on our cells defenses, however it makes sense and could probably answer many questions about diseases.

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