高考英语 考前突破阅读理解能力 科普类 人甘露醇可用于治疗帕金森症素材.docVIP

甘露醇可用于治疗帕金森症 Mannitol（甘露醇）, a sugar alcohol produced by fungi, bacteria, and algae, is a common component of sugar-free gum and candy. The sweetener is also used in the medical field -- its approved by the FDA as a diuretic（利尿剂） to flush out excess fluids and used during surgery as a substance that opens the blood/brain barrier to ease the passage of other drugs. Now Profs. Ehud Gazit and Daniel Segal of Tel Aviv Universitys Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, along with their colleague Dr. Ronit Shaltiel-Karyo and PhD candidate Moran Frenkel-Pinter, have found that mannitol also prevents clumps of the protein α-synuclein from forming in the brain -- a process that is characteristic of Parkinsons disease. ? These results, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry and presented at the Drosophila Conference in Washington, DC in April, suggest that this artificial sweetener could be a novel therapy for the treatment of Parkinsons and other neurodegenerative diseases. The research was funded by a grant from the Parkinsons Disease Foundation and supported in part by the Lord Alliance Family Trust. ? Seeing a significant difference ? After identifying the structural characteristics that facilitate the development of clumps of α-synuclein, the researchers began to hunt for a compound that could inhibit the proteins ability to bind together. In the lab, they found that mannitol was among the most effective agents in preventing aggregation of the protein in test tubes. The benefit of this substance is that it is already approved for use in a variety of clinical interventions, Prof. Segal says. ? Next, to test the capabilities of mannitol in the living brain, the researchers turned to transgenic fruit flies engineered to carry the human gene for α-synuclein. To study fly movement, they used a test called the climbing assay, in which the ability of flies to climb the walls of a test tube indicates their locomotive