Melatonin Mends Mucositis

[ironjustice]

Spanish Scientists develop a Pioneering Technique to Effectively Treat
Mucositis
Jueves, 14 de Febrero de 2013

•Mucositis is one of the most frequent side effects of chemotherapy
and radiotherapy in cancer patients and currently cannot be treated.
•Investigators at the University of Granada have patented a melatonin
gel that is 100% effective against this inflammatory reaction.
Scientists from the University of Granada have patented a compound
made from melatonin that is effective in the treatment and prevention
of mucositis, one of the most unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy
and radiotherapy in cancer patients. It is an easily applied gel that
"is believed to be the first product developed anywhere in the world
to combat mucositis", according to investigators from the Biomedical
Research Centre in Granada. There is currently no treatment for this
problem because its physiopathology is still not understood.

Mucositis is an inflammatory reaction that affects the mucous
membranes throughout the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus,
and is one of the principle adverse effects resulting from
chemotherapy, radiotherapy and bone marrow transplants. This problem
severely complicates the treatment of cancer as patients frequently
have to be admitted to hospital, naso-gastric tubes and opiates must
be used and, most seriously, radiotherapy treatment against the cancer
is interrupted. On some occasions, the results can be fatal.

Radiotherapy and Mucositis.

It is estimated that 40% of patients who receive radiotherapy and up
to 70% of bone marrow transplant patients will develop mucositis. In
patients with cancer of the head and neck, 97% develop this condition
to some degree, while 100% of those who receive staged radiotherapy
over a prolonged period also suffer from mucositis.
At the moment no effective treatment for mucositis exists, which is
why the product developed at the University of Granada is of such
enormous interest to the medical world and the pharmaceutical
industry, given that it could greatly enhance the quality of life of
cancer patients.

This patented compound is the fruit of more than twenty years of
research into the properties of melatonin at the University of
Granada, which has shown that mitochondrial damage is present in cases
of mucositis. "Melatonin alleviates the inflammatory reaction and
protects the mitochondria,´ says Germaine Escames Rosa, the principal
author of the study, "and for this reason we think it could be useful
for treating mucositis."

The success of the treatment developed at the University of Granada is
due to the type of gel used in the pharmaceutical formulation, and the
amount of melatonin used. "The oral application of this melatonin gel
at a specific concentration, impregnates the mucous membranes and
reverses the mitochondrial damage, preventing the appearance of
mucositis in 100% of cases." Any other type of melatonin application,
such as different concentrations, would not have the same effect.

National Patent

Via the University of Granada Research Results Transfer Office, the
product has already been patented at national level, and an
international patent has also been applied for.
In addition, the microbiological and stability tests that are required
in order to apply for registration as a health product are currently
being undertaken, while the research team are involved in preparing
for its launch as a commercial product. The studies undertaken for the
manufacture of this gel have been financed by CEI BioTic of Granada
and the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.


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Tom


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