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Seaweeds may be the panacea for all ills Washington:
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have discovered
10 new molecular structures found in a species of red seaweed along
the Fijian coral reef that have potential to kill cancer cells, bacteria
and the HIV virus. According to a study published in the recent issue
of the American Chemical Society Journal Organic Letters, two of these
natural compounds exhibit anti-bacterial activity. The compound that
was isolated in the greatest abundance killed human tumor cells by inducing
programmed cell death (called apoptosis), a mechanism that is promising
for development of new anti-cancer drugs. Researcher Julia Kubanek and
her colleagues collected baseball- sized samples of Fijian coral reef
species that exhibit unusual growth or behavioral phenomena. Among their
collection were soft corals, marine sponges, slugs, and green, red and
brown seaweeds. "These molecular structures are curious in the way carbon
atoms are attached. It's very unusual. They represent a new category
of organic molecules. It's exciting as a biochemist to observe that
living organisms have evolved the ability to synthesize such unique
and exotic structures compared to other molecules typically produced
by seaweeds," said Kubanek. "There are chemical differences among populations
of this seaweed species, even though two of the sites where it was collected
are only about 2 kilometers apart. This shows us there are small, but
valuable differences within species, and this genetic biodiversity is
important to protect as a resource for the future," she said. Researchers
have been analyzing extracts from about 200 marine plant and invertebrate
animal samples they collected from the Fijian coral reef in June 2004
with the permission of the Fijian government and local resource owners.
"Marine organisms make molecules for their own purposes that we might
co-opt for our own use as pharmaceutical agents. The organisms' purposes
include defense against predators, the ability to fight diseases, and
the production of chemical cues, such as those used for sex recognition,"
Kubanek explained. References: India Travel Times, News, Hotels, Airlines, Indian, Tourism, Tourist, Tour, Ayurveda, Yoga, Hotel |
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