A Better Chondroitinase ABC to Break Down Nerve Tissue Scarring

Researchers here report on their successful redesign of the chondroitinase ABC enzyme, capable of degrading a form of scarring that forms following nervous system injury. This scarring inhibits regrowth of nerves, and thus suppressing or removing it may be beneficial. Chondroitinase ABC achieves this goal to some degree, but is impractical to use because of its instability in the body. This redesign may have improved stability to a large enough degree to make the enzyme a practical basis for therapies that improve nerve regrowth. One of the major challenges to healing after the kind of nerve injury resulting from stroke or spinal cord damage is the formation of a glial scar. A glial scar is formed by cells and biochemicals that knit together tightly around the damaged nerve. In the short term, this protective environment shields the nerve cells from further injury, but in the long term it can inhibit nerve repair. About two decades ago, scientists discovered that a natural enzyme known as chondroitinase ABC - produced by a bacterium called Proteus vulgaris - can selectively degrade some of the biomolecules that make up the glial scar. By changing the environment around the damaged nerve, chondroitinase ABC has been shown to promote regrowth of nerve cells. In animal models, it can even lead to regaining some lost function. But progress has been limited by the fact that chondroitinase ABC is not very stable in the places where researchers want to use it. "It ag...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs