Diterpene-based drug achieves functional neuronal regeneration after brain injury in preclinical study
Published in Brain/Neurology, Drugs development.
Researchers from the University of Seville and the University of Cadiz, coordinated by the professors of Physiology Pedro Núñez-Abades and Carmen Castro, have demonstrated that the use of diterpenes facilitates repopulation with new neurons in brain regions damaged by traumatic injuries.
This discovery is particularly significant because the new cells are mature functional neurons, which are integrated into the neural circuits of the damaged area and develop functional characteristics identical to the neurons eliminated by the injury.
This important finding, published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy, is the result of a preclinical study in experimental animals, highlighting the pharmacological role diterpenes could play as a potential therapy for repairing brain damage.
Brain injuries can have very serious consequences that are often irreversible. Loss of neurons can affect a variety of functions, from movement to cognition, leading to personality changes or even more serious conditions. Finding treatments to help regenerate damaged brain tissue is a major challenge for science today.
In this search for possible novel treatments, the researchers Pedro Núñez-Abades and Carmen Castro have been working in close collaboration with the group from the University of Cadiz Department of Organic Chemistry, led by Rosario Hernández-Galán. This partnership has made it possible to identify natural products that could serve as therapies to regenerate damaged tissue, preventing loss of function.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-diterpene-based-drug-functional-neuronal.html