The spice that makes curry hot may also contain the key to effective treatment after stroke, researchers revealed last night.
Laboratory studies have extracted a chemical from curry spice that may be able to help regenerate brain cells damaged by the illness, a major conference was told.
The tongue-blistering spice turmeric and its chemical component curcumin have been studied extensively and now scientists say they have created a powerful new molecule.
If successful, their project would represent a major breakthrough in developing a drug that could help to heal stroke.
News of the compound, CNB-001, was reported last night to the American Heart Association International Stroke conference in Los Angeles, California, USA, by Dr Paul Lapchak, of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles.
Dr Lapchak said he hoped for trials on human patients to begin soon.
The laboratory studies suggest the drug could work up to three hours after the illness takes hold by preventing damage to brain cells and repairing "pathways" damaged by loss of blood and oxygen.
He said: "CNB-001 has many of the same benefits of curcumin but appears to be a better choice of compound for acute stroke because it crosses the blood-brain barrier, is quickly distributed in the brain, and moderates several critical mechanisms involved in neuronal survival."
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