Tamarind Seeds To Regrow Damaged Nerves

A new biomaterial derived from tamarind seeds could help regrow damaged nerves in the brain and spinal chord, says an Australian researcher. The work could revolutionise treatment of nerve-based injuries and diseases, such as Parkinson’s, it is hoped.
PhD student Andrew Rodda was part of a Monash Materials Engineering team investigating xyloglucan, a plant-based compound derived from the seeds of the tamarind tree.Within plants, xyloglucan plays an important role in linking cells together and Mr Rodda has been studying its effects in animals with damaged neve cells .
The compound developed by Mr Rodda can be injected into an injury site  as a liquid, before becoming a gel as it reaches body temperature .
Once in place, the gel acts as a support structure through which healthy cells can migrate and potentially reattach themselves to the nervous system.
Until now, all damage to the nerve cells  of the central nervous system  - the brain and spinal cord  – had been considered irreparable.
Mr Rodda said the lack of repair, or regrowth is due mainly to the toxic environment left behind after nerve death.
“Nerve cells are sensitive, and will only grow in the most supportive of environments,” Mr Rodda said.
“After injury, new cells cannot normally penetrate into the empty space left after mass cell death. Cells clump at the edges, forming an impenetrable barrier. This leaves the centre of the wound as a lesion, which contains chemicals that kill growing nerves.”