We're eying Rifampicin, too. Interestingly, there is Lyme disease and other cofactors at work in Jan's neurological condition. She was exposed to TB and had a series of treatments some 20 years ago. With drugs like Rifampicin, it may be that they impact other life forms in addition to their intended target.
At this point, this is an experiment that looks worthwhile.
Trisha
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnt
Work is still being done in the area.
In a paper published recently Bi et al. [1] write:
"Rifampicin is a macrocyclic antibiotic used extensively for the treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacterial infections. Recently, it was discovered that rifampicin exhibits neuroprotective effects. It has been shown to protect PC12 cells against MPP+-induced apoptosis and inhibit the expression of α-synuclein multimers. In in vitro studies, rifampicin pretreatment protects PC12 cells against rotenone-induced cell death. Qualitative and quantitative analyses uncover that rifampicin significantly suppresses rotenone-induced apoptosis by ameliorating mitochondrial oxidative stress. It reduces microglial inflammation and improves neuron survival. Our results indicate that rifampicin is cytoprotective under a variety of experimental conditions, and suggest that it may be useful in PD therapeutics."
Reference
[1] "Rifampicin and Parkinson's disease."
Bi W, Zhu L, Jing X, Liang Y, Tao E.
Neurol Sci. 2013 Feb;34(2):137-41. doi: 10.1007/s10072-012-1156-0. Epub 2012 Jul 21.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22821065
John |