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I don't quite understand about the vitamin C. Do you mean that one should not take vitamin C??? Please answer because I am on Sinemet. Thanks, Florence Frankel [log in to unmask] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gail Vass" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2002 1:01 AM Subject: It can't hurt...break out the Vit-C ! > Vitamin C Helps Drugs Pass Blood-Brain Barrier > http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020115/hl/vitamin.html > By Rossella Lorenzi > > FLORENCE (Reuters Health) - Vitamin C could provide a key to unlock the blood-brain > barrier, which stops many drugs from getting into the brain where they could > potentially treat diseases such as Alzheimer's or epilepsy, according to preliminary > findings from researchers in Italy. > > Dr. Stefano Manfredini from the University of Ferrara and colleagues found that > drugs used to treat neurological disorders appear to slip past the blood-brain > barrier more easily when a vitamin C molecule is attached. > > ``Ascorbic acid works like a sort of a shuttle. Theoretically, it could transport > onto the brain any compound,'' Manfredini told Reuters Health. > > Potential applications include not only drugs for diseases such as Alzheimer's, > Parkinson's and epilepsy, but also viral infections, including AIDS (news - web sites). > > Manfredini's group focused on the ascorbic acid SVCT2 transporter, which is believed > to play a major role in regulating the transport of vitamin C into the brain. > > In the past, glucose and amino acid units have already shown an ability to cross the > blood-brain barrier, Manfredini explained. ``But they do not guarantee a selective > target, while the SVCT2 transporter can get directly to the central nervous system.'' > > In the laboratory, the researchers evaluated the effect of adding vitamin C to drugs > known to have difficulty crossing the blood-brain barrier--namely diclophenamic > acid, nipecotic acid and kynurenic acid. > > Adding a vitamin C component to each of these three compounds greatly improved their > ability to interact with the SVCT2 transporter, the researchers report in the > January issue of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. > > The effect of modifying drugs was also tested in animals. Injections of nipecotic > acid linked to ascorbic acid lessened the occurrence of chemically induced > convulsions in mice, while nipecotic acid alone, as expected, was ineffective. Side > effects in the mice were very limited and no lethality was observed, the authors note. > > Manfredini told Reuters Health that further tests and additional animal studies of > vitamin C-modified drugs were planned. He has filed a patent for the discovery. > > SOURCE: Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2002 January. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn