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Also read:
Turmeric Ingredient Makes Cell Membranes Behave For Better Health
Indian
Spice In Turmeric Reduces Size Of Hemorrhagic Stroke
Second-year medical student Jay McCracken is working with Dr. Krishnan
Dhandapani, neuroscientist in the MCG School of
Medicine, using animal
models to study curcumin's effect on intracerebral hemorrhages, bleeding in
the brain caused by ruptured
vessels. (Credit: Image courtesy of Medical
College of Georgia)
ScienceDaily (Sep. 23, 2008) — You might want to make curcumin part of your
daily diet.
This
active ingredient of the Indian curry spice, turmeric, not only lowers your
chances of getting cancer and Alzheimer's disease, but may
reduce the size
of a hemorrhagic stroke, say Medical College of Georgia researchers.
Second-year medical student Jay McCracken is working with Dr. Krishnan
Dhandapani, neuroscientist in the MCG School of Medicine,
using animal
models to study curcumin's effect on intracerebral hemorrhages, bleeding in
the brain caused by ruptured vessels.
Patients with this type of stroke are often treated for symptoms – such as
headache and nausea – with medications, but not the stroke itself.
Invasive
surgery to remove the clot is usually needed, but some patients may not be
good candidates, says Mr. McCracken. About 17
percent of strokes are
hemorrhagic, according to the American Stroke Association, and usually occur
in people with high blood pressure.
"We
found that curcumin significantly decreases the size of a blood clot, but
we're not sure why it happens," says the Alpharetta native. He
thinks it may
be because curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. For the
study, he dissolved the yellow powder, which
gives turmeric its color, in
corn oil and injected it into the abdomen of an animal model of hemorrhagic
stroke three times over three hours.
He suspects less may work and is trying
to establish the optimal dose and timing.
Timing
is critical for patients who often don't know they have had a stroke and may
not be seen by a physician for several hours. "Usually,
patients can
experience other symptoms like seizures, vision or cognitive problems, so
they come to the (emergency room) fairly quickly
under most circumstances,"
says Dr. Dhandapani. "Many patients also arrive due to head trauma and are
seen within an hour or so.
However, treating these injuries, even after an
hour, can be tricky."
Patients likely will need to get curcumin intravenously. The researchers
believe it may also help prevent strokes; they intend to pursue this
line of
study with the idea of also making it available in a concentrated tablet
form for those at-risk.
Mr.
McCracken has worked on this project since May as part of the School of
Medicine Dean's Summer Research Fellowship, which
enables rising sophomore
students to design and participate in cutting-edge basic and/or clinical
research. He is among 25 students
presenting their findings today from noon
to 1 p.m. in the lobby of the Carl T. Sanders Research and Education
Building. School of
Medicine Dean D. Douglas Miller will recognize students
for their work and talk about the importance and role of research.
Mr.
McCracken will continue his research through the year. "I like the research,
and I think it's good preparation for residency," he says.
He hopes to
pursue a neurosurgery residency after graduation.
A
graduate of the University of Georgia, where he received biochemistry and
microbiology degrees, it was a high school football injury that
inspired Mr.
McCracken to pursue medicine.
"I
snapped my ankle, and when I met the orthopedic surgeon, I thought he was so
nice and interesting," says Mr. McCracken. "And then,
for an anatomy class,
we had to interview someone in science or health care, and I chose my
surgeon. He let me shadow him, and I thought
it was the best thing in the
world."
During
his first year at MCG, Mr. McCracken found he really enjoyed anatomy,
especially neuroanatomy.
"I
think it's interesting and challenging," he says. "I've seen patients come
in who have terrible tumors or hemorrhages, and neurosurgeons
can change
their life in a matter of hours. Patients come in expecting three months to
live, and surgeons give them years to live. It's amazing."
Medical College of Georgia (2008, September 23). Indian Spice In Turmeric
Reduces Size Of Hemorrhagic Stroke. ScienceDaily.
Retrieved September
25, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com
/releases/2008/09/080922135229.htm
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