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Bill Tatton, M.D., Ph.D., a medical researcher at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia came to Tallahassee on November 3 and delivered a lecture about Cell Death and Salvage. What follows is my simplistic, non-scientific, business-degree, semi-clueless interpretation of his very scientific and chemistry-intensive stuff. Dr. Tatton talked about necrosis, in which cell walls deteriorate leading to cell death and apoptosis, cell death caused by DNA disintegration. Necrosis takes place in nerve cells immediately following trauma. Apoptosis follows over the next several days. An example he gave was a stroke. Immediately following insult cells in the affected area die of necrosis. The patient may then recover from this attack and go home, only to deteriorate over the next few days. In those few days, other cells are dying from apoptosis. -Deprenyl was effective in lab cultures in rescuing these cells from cell death by apoptosis by increasing Bcl-2 and decreasing Bax in the cells. These cells also took in less calcium into the mitochondria, kept high pH and electric potential differentials and all the other good stuff to keep cells alive (I'm no chemist.). Dr. Tatton and his researchers found that -deprenyl, when taken orally, is broken down in the GI tract into amphetamines and methamphetamines, which compete with -deprenyl for intake into nerve cells to protect them. So the component parts of deprenyl block its effectiveness by occupying receptor sites. The solution to this problem is to administer the drug intravenously or transdermally (we're talking patch). Bypassing the intestines allows more of the drug to reach the cells that need it and decreases competition with component parts (amphetamines). So why can't you get a prescription for deprenyl patches? Several drug companies are working on them. I don't know what the time horizon is before they will be available. Currently deprenyl is only available as Eldepryl in oral form. There promises to be some ownership disputes before a transdermal product can be brought to market (The lawyers have to get their piece of the action.). The presentation that Dr. Tatton made seemed very impressive. This could be breakthrough stuff for help to prolong the life of nerve cells. It would be useful in treating any disease in which progressive nerve cell death by apoptosis takes place. Perhaps one of the doctors on the list can comment on the applications in Parkinson's. I'll try to get some citations from medline regarding Tatton's (and his colleagues') research. Chris @8) -- The NeuroScience Center [log in to unmask] at Tallahassee Memorial (904) 681-5037