A compound derived from the plant may prove to be helpful

Jun 25, 2012 09:49 GMT  ·  By

Investigators from the University of Copenhagen, in Denmark, believe that a compound extracted from a species of South African daffodil may be used to address depression in the future. The chemical is showing great promise at this point.

According to the research group, these substances may in fact help treat a larger number of diseases originating in the brain. The discovery covers the South African plant species Crinum and Cyrtanthus, which are similar to daffodils and snowdrops.

Preliminary results indicate that the plants produce compounds that have a direct effect on the neural mechanisms that are involved in the development of depression and other mental disorders.

The most impressive aspect of the newly isolated compounds is that they can pass through the blood-brain barrier, an obstacle that prevents most chemicals from passing into the brain. Unfortunately, the barrier also prevents drug molecules from doing the same.

There are several chemicals that can pass through the BBB, and one of the greatest challenges thus far for pharmaceutical research has been to find a way of manufacturing drugs capable of breaking this barrier as well, PsychCentral reports.

“Several of our plant compounds can probably be smuggled past the brain’s effective barrier proteins. The biggest challenge in medical treatment of diseases of the brain is that the drug cannot pass through the blood-brain barrier,” says UC associate professor, Birger Brodin.

“The blood vessels of the brain are impenetrable for most compounds, one reason being the very active transporter proteins. You could say that the proteins pump the drugs out of the cells just as quickly as they are pumped in,” he adds.

Unfortunately, actually developing drugs based on the new compounds may take a long time. The process of developing and testing new drugs is lengthy, and requires several years to complete, the experts write in the latest issue of the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology.

“This is the first stage of a lengthy process, so it will take some time before we can determine which of the plant compounds can be used in further drug development,” Brodin explains.

“Our results are promising, and several of the chemical compounds studied should therefore be tested further as candidates for long-term drug development,” he concludes.