New York, July 29: A common food dye used in popular candies can help repair spinal injuries and prevent permanent paralysis, US researchers claim.
Researchers report that the compound Brilliant Blue G (BBG) found in blue colour dye used in candies blocks a chemical that kills healthy spinal cord cells around the damaged area after an injury.
The new findings by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Centre here are based on earlier research by the team.
In the August 2004, the scientists had found how adenosine triphosphat (ATP), the vital energy source that keeps our body’s cells alive, quickly pours into the area surrounding a spinal cord injury shortly after it occurs, and paradoxically kills off healthy and uninjured cells.
The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
BBG not only reduced the size of the lesion but also improved the recovery of motor skills, the rodent tests showed.
Those rats who did not receive the BBG solution never regained the ability to walk.
There is some side effects too, with the treatment causing the skin to temporarily turn bright blue. BBG also needs to be injected within 15 minutes after the trauma to be effective.
–PTI