Sunday, November 3, 2024
HomeBrain and Mental PerformanceNeurologyAbortion Drug May Protect Brain Cells

Abortion Drug May Protect Brain Cells

Results of a recent study suggest that mifepristone, a drug used to terminate unwanted pregnancies, helps to protect brain cells from damage and extend their lifespan. Dr AM Ghoumari and colleagues at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Kremlin-Bicetre, France found that the drug protected rat and mice brain cells in culture from apoptosis, or cellular death.

Results of a recent study suggest that mifepristone, a drug used to terminate unwanted pregnancies, helps to protect brain cells from damage and extend their lifespan. Dr AM Ghoumari and colleagues at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Kremlin-Bicetre, France found that the drug protected rat and mice brain cells in culture from apoptosis, or cellular death. Normally, apoptosis is triggered in these if they are removed and placed in tissue culture during the animal’s first week of life. However, when the researchers treated the cells with mifepristone, many of them survived the ordeal. Previous research has suggested that mifepristone may protect nerve cells during traumatic brain injury, and shield them against excitotoxicity, a process that has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and several other brain diseases. The drug has been shown to be a potent antioxidant, and it is thought that at least some of its protective effect upon brain cells is down to its ability to scavenge cell-damaging free radicals. However, exactly how mifepristone prevents apoptosis remains uncertain. The researchers conclude that, in the future, mifepristone “could be considered for use in some neurodegenerative diseases.”

SOURCE/REFERENCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition 2003;10.1073/pnas.1332667100.

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular