A reason to love red wine
It could help treat metabolic diseases
Green tea and red wine are the subjects of a promising discovery made by Tel Aviv University researchers who have published a study about treatment for inborn congenital metabolic diseases.
Most people with inherited metabolic disorders are born with a defective gene that results in a critical enzyme deficiency. In the absence of a cure, many patients with inborn congenital metabolic disorders must adhere to a strict and demanding diet their entire lives, the university explained.
This new research, announced by the university’s spokeswoman’s office this week, found that certain compounds in green tea and red wine may block the formation of toxic metabolites.
The research was led by Prof. Ehud Gazit of TAU’s Faculty of Life Sciences and his doctoral student Shira Shaham-Niv and was published in the Nature Publishing Group’s scientific journal
The researchers considered two compounds: epigallocatechin gallate, known as EGCG, found naturally in green tea, and already known for its health benefits; and tannic acid, found in red wine, which is known to prevent the formation of toxic amyloid structures that cause neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
“In the case of inborn congenital metabolic diseases, the body does not produce a vital metabolic enzyme,” Shaham-Niv said. “As a result, metabolites – substances that are, among other things, the building blocks of DNA and proteins – accumulate in the body. Such uncontrolled accumulation is toxic and can cause severe developmental and mental disorders. Our new study demonstrates once again the ability of nature to produce the best candidate of drugs to treat some of the worst human maladies.”
The disease phenylketonuria (PKU), which causes the accumulation of the metabolite phenylalanine, is one common inborn metabolic disease. Infants with PKU must begin to adhere to a strict diet free of phenylalanine for the rest of their lives. If they don’t, they may face severe debilitating developmental problems.
“But this is an incredibly difficult task, since phenylalanine is found in most of the food products that we consume,” Shaham-Niv said. “The avoidance of certain substances is the only way to prevent the debilitating long-term effects of inborn congenital metabolic disorders. We hope that our new approach will facilitate the development of new drugs to treat these disorders.”
The research focused on EGCG and tannic acid using test tubes and culture cell systems. The two substances were tested on three metabolites related to three innate metabolic diseases: adenine, cumulative tyrosine and phenylalanine. The researchers found the results to be promising. Both tannic acid and EGCG were effective in blocking the formation of toxic amyloid structures. The researchers also used computer simulations to verify the mechanism driving the compounds.
“We are entering a new era of understanding the role and the importance of metabolites in various diseases, including metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and even cancer,” Shaham-Niv concluded. “The tools we have developed are groundbreaking and have tremendous potential to help a wide range of patients in the future.”