Paralysis soon curable? New plant drug heals nerve injuries

Active ingredient from feverfew accelerates the healing of injured nerves

Nerve injuries heal very slowly, in many cases lasting damage such as paralysis lingers. Medical research has not produced effective medication to cure such damage. A German research team now wants to create the decisive breakthrough and make nervous injuries and thus paralyzes curable. In their first experiments, they were able to show that a substance from the feverfew significantly improves the healing process of injured nerves.

The healing of nerve damage is still a major problem in today's medicine. Paralysis, for example, caused by strokes, often persist, heal only partially or very slowly. Neurobiologists of the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) now discovered a herbal active ingredient from feverfew, which significantly accelerated the healing process in mice and rats with an injured sciatic nerve.

The herbal active ingredient parthenolide from the feverfew contributes according to the latest findings of research to cure nerve damage more than twice as fast. (Image: babsi_w / fotolia.com)

After 30 years of research finally a breakthrough?

"Despite intensive research over the past 30 years, we have failed to significantly improve the treatment of nerve injuries," write the RUB experts in a press release on the new findings. This should change now. The team around Professor Dietmar Fischer discovered a new drug class that has the potential to cure nerve damage.

First successful tests

According to the RUB researchers have for the first time succeeded in demonstrating the effectiveness of a healing substance in nerve injuries. In mice and rats with sciatic discomfort, the team showed how the active ingredient from the feverfew significantly improved rodents' nerve function.

Nerve victims are often without help

Injured nerves often cause permanent damage. An injury, chemotherapy, diseases such as diabetes, a stroke - these and other causes often leave injured people without help. "Due to the slow growth rate of nerve fibers, the healing process is usually very tedious and often incomplete," reports Professor Fischer. As a result, persistent disorders such as paralysis of the arms or legs, numbness and chronic pain may occur. This severely limits the quality of life of those affected.

New hope for patients with permanent nerve damage

The latest findings of neurobiologists give hope for the patients. The feverfew agent Parthenolide has been shown by rodents to more than double the regeneration rate of nerve fibers. The scientists were able to document that the restoration of motor function and sensitivity of the sciatic nerve after an injury in half the time is possible.

Further tests needed

"We now want to test whether the new drug class is effective for other types of injury," said Fischer. The first tests were validation. In the next step, the drug must be further developed into a drug that can be used for humans. For this purpose, a cooperation with a pharmaceutical company or an own company foundation is planned.

Next project already in the starting blocks

In October 2018, the neurobiologists will start with the next project, which will investigate whether the feverfew substance is also suitable for use in other types of injuries or nerve pain. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is also showing interest in the new active substance and is funding the project with around 1.25 million euros. (Vb)