SoylentNews

takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

A molecule that inhibits the cystathionine beta-synthase enzyme [kurzweilai.net] may reduce preventable brain damage in stroke victims:

A new molecule known as 6S has reduced the death of brain tissue from ischemic stroke by up to 66 percent in rats while reducing the accompaning inflammation, researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln [unl.edu] and the National University of Singapore [nus.edu.sg] reported March 9 in an open-access paper [acs.org] [open, DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.6b00019] published by the journal ACS Central Science.

The inhibitor molecule works by binding to cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS), an enzyme that normally helps regulate cellular function, but can also trigger production of toxic levels of hydrogen sulfide in the brain. (That buildup initiates brain damage after strokes by disrupting blood flow, which prevents oxygen and glucose from reaching brain tissue, ultimately killing neurons and other cells.)

Original Submission