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From the ACS Press Room Multiple Sclerosis Drug Works in a Surprising Way
“Interferon-β Decreases the Hypermetabolic State of Red Blood Cells from Patients with Multiple Sclerosis” ACS Chemical Neuroscience
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Drugs called interferon betas are common treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), reducing relapses and slowing motor function decline. Interferon beta, a protein known to contain a zinc binding pocket, is thought to reduce proinflammatory molecules and even increase production of anti-inflammatory species in MS patients. But researchers now report in ACS Chemical Neuroscience that the molecule reduces the binding of three components — zinc, C-peptide and albumin — to red blood cells. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, almost a million people in the U.S. and about 2.8 million people worldwide live with MS. This autoimmune disease damages the myelin sheath, an insulating layer of proteins and fats wrapped around nerves, which leads to impaired neuronal signaling. People with MS typically have pain, numbness and mobility issues that worsen over time. Cells that make myelin are sensitive to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and nitric oxide (NO), molecules that are present in high amounts in the blood and brain lesions of MS patients. Red blood cells can release NO directly, but they can also stimulate NO production in the lining of blood vessels by releasing ATP. NO can then go on to damage nerves in MS patients. Zinc, C-peptide — which is secreted by the pancreas along with insulin — and albumin are key players in the latter process, and they can latch onto red blood cells. Because interferon beta can bind zinc, it seemed possible that the drug helped patients by sopping up this mineral, so Dana Spence and colleagues wanted to investigate further. In lab tests, the researchers found that red blood cells from MS patients bound more zinc, C-peptide and albumin than cells from control subjects. Treatment with interferon beta reduced this interaction in MS samples
down to control levels. Albumin boosted zinc and C-peptide binding to MS red blood cells, and this effect went away with interferon beta treatment. From these data, the researchers conclude that it’s likely the drug is inhibiting albumin binding, keeping it from delivering its cargo of C-peptide and zinc to red blood cells so that NO can be made.
The authors acknowledge funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
2022 Doherty Award Winner
Eric E. Simanek, Robert A. Welch Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Texas Christian University, is the winner of the Wilfred T. Doherty Award for 2022. The Doherty Award recognizes excellence in chemical research or chemistry teaching, meritorious service to ACS, the establishment of new chemical methodology (for the industry), solution of pollution problems, and advances in curative or preventive chemotherapy.
Dr. Simanek received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois in UrbanaChampaign in 1991 and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA in 1996. After a postdoctoral appointment at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA, he joined the Department of Chemistry at Texas A&M University in College Station in 1998. During this time, he led the general chemistry program from 2006-2009. After 12 years on the faculty, Dr. Simanek moved to his current position at Texas Christian University in 2010 as the Welch Chair and is currently the department chair. He founded the TCU IdeaFactory in 2011 and served as its director until 2019. He has published more than 100 papers and graduated 16 PhD and 4 MS students while mentoring far more undergraduates. In 2016, he coauthored Shots of Knowledge: The Science of Whiskey which went on to garner recognition from Gourmond and the International Association of Culinary Professions, winning the Hall of Fame Award from the former and named a finalist by the latter. More recently, his first novel was released, The Whiskey Thieves: An American Adventure in 1871. In addition to teaching a whiskey science and history course at TCU, he travels and lectures on the intersection of science, technology and society using whiskey as a lens. From 20182020, Dr. Simanek was a Sigma-Xi Distinguished Lecturer. He was named Honors Professor of the Year in 2019. He was recognized with the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Achievement as a Creative Teacher Scholar in 2020. He started the TCU Whiskey School in 2022. His research group has focused on polymer-based drug delivery and more recently on the design of macrocyclic drugs with support from agencies including the National Institutes of Health. His efforts in education have been funded by the National Science Foundation.
2022 Chemistry Ambassador Award Winner
Martha Gilchrist is the winner of the Chemistry Ambassador Award for 2022. The Chemistry Ambassador Award recognizes an outstanding member of the ACS DFW local section who has made a significant impact via promoting chemistry to the community.
Martha Gilchrist is Instructor of Chemistry at Tarrant County College South campus, where she has taught organic chemistry since August 2000. She holds a BA from Austin College and a M.S. in Physical Chemistry from Michigan State University, where she conducted research under Professor Marcos Dantus. Before arriving at TCC, Martha taught at Brevard Community College in Florida and at Alma College in Michigan. While at TCC, Martha has facilitated ACS meetings including hosting Dr. Bill Carroll (in 2020) and Kirk Hunter (in 2019). Martha has also been involved in activities educating the public on climate science through serving on the steering committee for Dr. Bob Landolt’s Climate Challenge project (2013-1014) and helping to organize TCC’s climate change summit series (2016). Martha has served as advisor for the TCC South campus pre-medical professionals student club since 2014. In 2014 Martha started an undergraduate research initiative at TCC and has mentored over 30 students at TCC who conduct research projects and present at meetings such as the ACS meeting in miniature, the National Conference for Undergraduate Research, American Indian Science and Engineering National meeting, and the TCC South campus Cultivating Scholars research showcase. Martha has been a member of ACS since 1993 and served as the treasurer of the local section since 2019.
From the ACS Press Room A New Low-calorie Sweetener could also Improve Gut Health, Study Shows
“Prebiotic Potential of a New Sweetener Based on Galactooligosaccharides and Modified Mogrosides”
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
From the wide variety of sodas, candies and baked goods that are sold worldwide, it’s clear that people love their sweet treats. But consuming too much white table sugar or artificial sweetener can lead to health issues. In the search for a better sweetener, researchers in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry now report a lowcalorie mixture that is as sweet as table sugar and, in lab experiments, feeds “good” gut microbes.
Artificial sweeteners have exploded in popularity because they let people consume sweets without the calories. However, while they’re considered safe for human consumption, studies in animals and humans suggest that some of them can stimulate appetite, leading to increased food consumption and
weight gain, as well as other negative health outcomes. So, researchers have been turning to the study of low-calorie or extremely sweet substances from natural sources as possible replacements. For example, galactooligosaccharides — found in mammalian milk — are low-calorie sugars with prebiotic activity that can be a source of energy for beneficial gut microbes, but they’re not quite sweet enough to replace table sugar. Alternatively, extracts from the luo han guo fruit contain mogrosides — compounds 200 to 300 times sweeter than table sugar. But these extracts sometimes have off-flavors, which can be removed with enzymes. So, F. Javier Moreno and colleagues wanted to take advantage of the best aspects of both natural substances, using enzymes to modify mogrosides while simultaneously producing galactooligosaccharides for a brandnew low-calorie sweetener.
The researchers started with lactose and mogroside V (the primary mogroside in luo han guo fruit). When they added βgalactosidase enzymes, the researchers obtained a mixture that contained mostly galactooligosaccharides and a small amount of modified mogrosides. A trained sensory panel reported that the new combination had a sweetness similar to that of sucrose (table sugar), suggesting it could be acceptable to consumers. In test tube experiments, the new sweetener increased the levels of multiple human gut microbes that are beneficial, including Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus bacteri
