Recent studies at the University of Florida have found that a certain
type of blue-green algae called
Spirulina has shown
to be beneficial when fed to mice with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease after the famous baseball player who
was diagnosed with it. Characteristics of this disease include degeneration of
motor neurons which causes muscle weakness and eventually paralysis and then
death within a short period of time. When mice fed a diet rich in Spirulina
supplements, compared to mice that were fed normally, it was found that there
was less inflammation markers and less neuron death in those fed the
supplement diets. It is believed that this alga contains β-carotene and phycocyanins
that act as potent antioxidants. They also have anti-inflammatory effects. About
5%-10% of ALS cases are genetically linked. Many cases are believed to be
sporadic however with more research being done, more genes are found to be
linked to this disease thus more cases are being diagnosed as genetic. One gene
to that is linked dominantly to this disease is TDP-43 which when
mutated causes TDP-43 protein, which binds to RNA, to mislocalize in
motor neurons. Mutations on genes C9ORF72 and SOD1 are also causes of
ALS although it is not understood why yet.
Treating this disease with Spirulina supplements is a way to
slow down the progression of the disease while more research can be done
involving the underlying genetic factors which are not yet fully understood.
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Spirulina
I think that a natural treatment for a genetic
disease is not seen too often and this is why this research is interesting. I
think that while gene therapy and using genetics to identify the underlying
causes of a disease are important, using treatments such as plants or algae are
a great alternative to pharmaceutical drugs.
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Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101221101833.htm
Related Links: http://www.dailytech.com/ALS+in+Mice+May+be+Treated+with+BlueGreen+Algae+Supplement+/article20455.htm
http://www.benthamscience.com/open/totermj/articles/V003/36TOTERMJ.pdf
