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| Saturday, 27 August 2005 12:59 | | BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
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Scientists from the University of Saint Louis have identified a chemical that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and treat brain tumours.
The barrier, which exists to prevent toxic substances reaching the brain, makes it hard to deliver drugs but researchers found that the chemical JV-1-36 could bypass the barrier to block the growth of tumours.
Researchers tested the procedure on mice with malignant glioblastomas, the most common brain tumours.
They then administered an intravenous injection of JV-1-36 which suppresses the effect of the hypothalamic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). GHRH normally helps children to grow but has been found to boost the growth of cancerous tumours.
The Saint Louis team said that JV-1-36 gets past the blood-brain barrier by dissolving into cell membranes and avoiding the P-gp system, which acts as an extra security measure for the brain.
Professor William Banks, who led the research at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, said: "The blood-brain barrier is set up to very carefully patrol what it lets into the brain and what it keeps out.
"It makes these decisions based on the physicochemical properties.
"Most of our drugs that fight cancers are toxic to cancer cells and to other cells too. That's why the blood-brain barrier locks them out of the brain."
He added: "There are times when there's a big difference between an animal model and the human condition.
"In terms of getting drugs across the blood brain barrier to fight cancer, there's not such a big difference.
"There's pretty much the same rules in any blood-brain barrier - be it mouse or human."
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