Skip to main content

A vitamin could help treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A vitamin could help treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Date:
October 19, 2016
Source:
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Summary:
Researchers are working on a new strategy to combat one of the most severe forms of muscular dystrophy. Rather than acting on the defective gene, they are using large doses of a vitamin.
Duchenne is the most common and severe form of muscular dystrophy. Because of this genetic disease, one out of every 3,500 children spends their 12th birthday in a wheelchair. This disorder progressively leads to general paralysis, and most patients die of respiratory failure. The disease is caused by a genetic mutation that prevents a protein required to keep muscle cells intact from being produced. While most research focuses on repairing the defective gene, researchers at EPFL have come up with a different strategy. As part of their work on nutrition and aging, they discovered that large doses of a vitamin called nicotinamide riboside were remarkably effective in countering the progress of the disease in animals. Their work has been published in Science Translational Medicine.

Journal Reference:

  1. D. Ryu, H. Zhang, E. R. Ropelle, V. Sorrentino, D. A. G. Mazala, L. Mouchiroud, P. L. Marshall, M. D. Campbell, A. S. Ali, G. M. Knowels, S. Bellemin, S. R. Iyer, X. Wang, K. Gariani, A. A. Sauve, C. Canto, K. E. Conley, L. Walter, R. M. Lovering, E. R. Chin, B. J. Jasmin, D. J. Marcinek, K. J. Menzies, J. Auwerx. NAD repletion improves muscle function in muscular dystrophy and counters global PARylationScience Translational Medicine, 2016; 8 (361): 361ra139 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaf5504

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Essential Minerals

Minerals: Functions and Sources The body needs many minerals; these are called essential minerals . Essential minerals are sometimes divided up into major minerals (macrominerals) and trace minerals (microminerals).  A balanced diet usually provides all of the essential minerals. The two tables below list minerals, what they do in the body (their functions), and their sources. Major minerals Mineral Function Sources Sodium Needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction Table salt, soy sauce; large amounts in processed foods; small amounts in milk, breads, vegetables, and unprocessed meats Chloride Needed for proper fluid balance, stomach acid Table salt, soy sauce; large amounts in processed foods; small amounts in milk, meats, breads, and vegetables Potassium Needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction Meats, milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes Calciu...

Vitamin C Can Reduce High Blood Pressure, Study Finds

Vitamin C Can Reduce High Blood Pressure, Study Finds CORVALLIS, Ore. - Researchers have discovered that a 500 milligram daily supplement of vitamin C can significantly reduce high blood pressure in hypertensive patients. The study, published this month in the medical journal Lancet, was done by scientists at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. It was supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. "Hypertension is a serious health problem in much of the world," said Balz Frei, professor and director of the Linus Pauling Institute, and a co-author of the research along with principal investigator Dr. Joseph Vita at Boston University. "It's a key risk factor in heart disease and strokes." "We believe this is a significant finding that may be of considerable value to patients who have moderately elevated blood pressure," Frei s...

Zinc can halt the growth of cancer cells, study says

Zinc can halt the growth of cancer cells, study says Zinc supplements can significantly inhibit the proliferation of esophageal cancer cells, according to a new study co-authored by a University of Texas at Arlington researcher. Previous studies had shown that zinc is essential for maintaining human health and protects the esophagus from cancer. However, it has never been fully understood why zinc has the ability to prevent cancer in the esophagus. In this study, a team led by Zui Pan, an associate professor of nursing at UTA's College of Nursing and Health Innovation and a noted esophageal cancer researcher, discovered that zinc selectively halts the growth of cancer cells but not normal esophageal epithelial cells. The finding was published this month in  The FASEB Journal , the official journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Esophageal cancer is the sixth leading cause of human cancer deaths around the world, according to the Nation...