New drugs can be formulated using Aspergillus fumigatus, red sea fungus to treat epilepsy, reports a new study in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience.
New treatments for epilepsy are sorely needed because current medications don't work for many people with the disease. To find new leads, researchers have now turned to the sea -- a source of unique natural products that have been largely untapped for prospective drugs.
Epilepsy
Fits or convulsions or Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent, involuntary seizures and is described as a chronic neurological disorder
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‘Aspergillus fumigatus, a red sea fungus produces two γ-lactams which can reduce the number and length of seizures in the treatment of epilepsy.’
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The term "epilepsy" covers a spectrum of brain disorders with symptoms ranging from mildly odd sensations to seizures, loss of consciousness and death. Worldwide, the condition affects 50 million people, according to the World Health Organization.
Current treatments work in only about 70 percent of those who try them. To identify some new options, Marcel Jaspars, Peter A. M. de Witte and colleagues teamed up in an international collaboration called the EU PharmSea project that aimed to discover novel compounds from marine microorganisms in some of the deepest, coldest and hottest places on Earth.
![Epilepsy Drugs During Pregnancy Linked to Birth Defects]( "Epilepsy Drugs During Pregnancy Linked to Birth Defects")
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by seizures. Anti-epileptic drugs during pregnancy may cause birth defects in children.
According to the researchers, this study was the first-ever systematic large-scale screen of marine-derived natural products for potential anti-seizure drugs. Initial tests of a variety of these compounds revealed that two γ-lactams produced by the Red Sea fungus Aspergillus fumigatus reduced the number and length of seizures in zebrafish, a model organism they used for high-volume screening of compounds.
The researchers then showed that these natural substances, known as pseurotin A2 and azaspirofuran A, also shortened seizures in a mouse model of epilepsy. The scientists recommend further investigation of these metabolites to explore their biomolecular targets and to design more potent analogs.
Source: Eurekalert
Epilepsy Drugs During Pregnancy Linked to Birth Defects
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by seizures. Anti-epileptic drugs during pregnancy may cause birth defects in children.
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According to the researchers, this study was the first-ever systematic large-scale screen of marine-derived natural products for potential anti-seizure drugs. Initial tests of a variety of these compounds revealed that two γ-lactams produced by the Red Sea fungus Aspergillus fumigatus reduced the number and length of seizures in zebrafish, a model organism they used for high-volume screening of compounds.
The researchers then showed that these natural substances, known as pseurotin A2 and azaspirofuran A, also shortened seizures in a mouse model of epilepsy. The scientists recommend further investigation of these metabolites to explore their biomolecular targets and to design more potent analogs.
Source: Eurekalert
Epilepsy During Pregnancy
Seizures or epilepsy during pregnancy can be fatal for both the mother and child and needs urgent medical intervention. The reasons are often unknown.
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 Many Neurologists Unaware of Safety Risks Related to Anti-epilepsy Drugs: StudyA fifth of U.S. neurologists appear unaware of serious drug safety risks associated with various anti-epilepsy drugs finds a study by John Hopkins researchers. | Advertisement
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