PNAS: Cashew shell compounds have the potential to repair damaged nerves!

Myelin is a layer of membrane wrapped around the axons of nerve cells, and its physiological function is to protect the nerves, help spread nerve impulses quickly and have an insulating effect.
many neurological disorders are caused by damage to myelin, such as multiple sclerosis (MS).
In the early days of MS, the brain also had a certain ability to regenerate new myelin, but as the disease progressed, this natural repair process was interrupted, myelin loss (demyelination) occurred, and then a series of neurological dysfunctions.
is a sign of multiple sclerosis and diseases related to the central nervous system.
In a new study published August 18 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a team of researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the United States reported that a compound found in cashew shells (the cashew nuts we buy are usually not shelled) can promote myelin repair.
"We think this is an exciting discovery that opens up new avenues for finding ways to treat multiple sclerosis and other demyelinations," said Subramaniam Sriram, author of the study and professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University and head of the Department of Neuroimmunology.
" previous study led by Sriram showed that lysin 33 (IL-33) has a known neuro repair effect in experimental models of central nervous system damage.
that the compounds that induce IL-33 may promote re-myelinization.
the new study, the team found that the compound cashew acid in cashew shells could be used as a candidate molecule as a therapeutic agent for myelin regeneration.
in the experiment, researchers found that cashew acid inhibited an enzyme involved in gene expression, histoprotein acetyl transferase (HAT), and they found that any substance that inhibited HAT could induce the production of IL-33.
researchers also found that adding cashew acid to cultured less protrusive glial cell precellular cells (OPCs) can rapidly increase the expression of myelin genes and myelin, suggesting that cashew acid can directly induce genes involved in myelin formation.
The study also reported a series of new findings that point to the potential therapeutic use of cashew acid for demyelinating disease: in-body, adding the compound to mouse cells in OPC, which is responsible for myelin regeneration, stimulates il-33 induction, and rapidly increases the expression of myelin genes and proteins, including increased dose dependence on myelin protein (MBP).
In two demyelinated animal models, the treatment of the compound increased levels of IL-33 and OPC and led to a decrease in animal paralysis;
Sriram said: "These amazing results clearly could advance our further research into the treatment of desumetic disease with cashew acid.
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