ScienceDaily: Chemical Compound Found In Tree Bark Stimulates Growth, Survival Of Brain Cells
2007.10.05
"...The tree bark compound, known as gambogic amide, behaves much like Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), a molecule found in the brain. NGF binds to TrkA, a neuronal receptor, and activates neuronal signaling. It is known that the loss of TrkA density correlates with neuronal atrophy and severe cognitive impairment such as that associated with Alzheimer's disease...Gambogic amide is derived from gambogic acid, a major ingredient of gamboges, a brownish-orange resin exuded from the Southeast Asian Garcinia hanburryi tree. The resin has been used in that area of the world for thousands of years to treat cancers without any reported toxicity to noncancerous cells..."
If proven safe, gambogic amide will be a big story. Interesting that the synthetic version of NGF was so ineffective that they went looking for a molecule in nature that was "robust" enough to do the job. And apparently found it. I'd love to know the reason why cyclopeptide mimetics couldn't be improved more at this time.
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