Energy News  
Tobacco Makes Medicine

The researchers found that tobacco plants were able to process both forms of IL-10 correctly, producing the active cytokine at high enough levels that it might be possible to use tobacco leaves without lengthy extraction and purification processes.
by Staff Writers
Verona, Italy (SPX) Mar 19, 2009
Tobacco isn't famous for its health benefits. But now scientists have succeeded in using genetically modified tobacco plants to produce medicines for several autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including diabetes. The research is published in the open access journal BMC Biotechnology.

A large team of scientists from several European research organizations have participated in the study as part of the Pharma-Planta project.

Led by Professor Mario Pezzotti at the University of Verona, they set out to create transgenic tobacco plants that would produce biologically-active interleukin-10 (IL-10), a potent anti-inflammatory cytokine.

They tried two different versions of IL-10 (one from a virus, one from the mouse) and generated plants in which this protein was targeted to three different compartments within the cell, to see which would work most effectively.

The researchers found that tobacco plants were able to process both forms of IL-10 correctly, producing the active cytokine at high enough levels that it might be possible to use tobacco leaves without lengthy extraction and purification processes.

The next step will be to feed the plants to mice with autoimmune diseases to find out how effective they are.

The authors are keen to use the plants to see whether repeated small doses could help prevent type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), in combination with other auto-antigens associated with the disease.

The team has a particular auto-antigen in its sights - the 65-kDa isoform of the enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65) - which they have also produced in transgenic tobacco plants.

According to Pezzotti, "Transgenic plants are attractive systems for the production of therapeutic proteins because they offer the possibility of large scale production at low cost, and they have low maintenance requirements. The fact that they can be eaten, which delivers the drug where it is needed, thus avoiding lengthy purification procedures, is another plus compared with traditional drug synthesis."

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Viral and murine interleukin-10 are correctly processed and retain their biological activity when produced in tobacco
Pharma-Planta project
University of Verona
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Wheat Experts From 40 Countries Gather In Mexico
Ciudad Obregon, Mexico (SPX) Mar 19, 2009
The world's leading wheat experts from Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas - invited to Mexico by Nobel Prize Winner Norman Borlaug - have reported significant progress in developing new varieties of wheat capable of resisting a virulent form of an old plant disease that threatens wheat production worldwide.







  • ExxonMobil to build technology centre in Shanghai
  • Analysis: Salazar ramps up oil, renewables
  • Nigerian militants attempt attack on oil facility: army
  • Scientists aim to replicate the sun

  • Seven Greenpeace activists detained in Turkey nuclear demo
  • Finland needs at most one more nuclear reactor by 2020: govt
  • Analysis: Nuke waste problem unsolved
  • Analysis: Turkey's energy future

  • Rendezvous With HALO
  • SKoreans buy air purifiers amid "yellow dust" warning
  • More Reasons To Hate Humidity
  • Scientist Models The Mysterious Travels Of Greenhouse Gas

  • Prince Charles in Brazil to deliver eco-warning
  • Prince Charles pushes eco-agenda in Latin America
  • Danger Lurks Underground For Oak Seedlings
  • World Bank approves 1.3 bln dlrs for Brazilian eco projects

  • Poor Face Economic Chill As Planet Heats Up
  • Tobacco Makes Medicine
  • Female Mammals Follow Their Noses To The Right Mates
  • Frankincense Oil - A Wise Man's Remedy For Bladder Cancer

  • Sweden to slash 'clean' car taxes, hike diesel price
  • China Geely boss says open to overseas auto deals
  • Singapore-made biofuel to run cars in Europe, North America
  • Car makers get serious on the environment

  • Cathay Pacific lost 1.1 billion dollars in 2008
  • National hypersonic science centers named
  • First China-assembled Airbus set for June delivery: report
  • China's large passenger jet ready in eight years: report

  • Nuclear Power In Space - Part 2
  • Nuclear Power In Space
  • Outside View: Nuclear future in space

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement