NEW HAVEN, Conn., April 30 (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist, using a compound from a centuries-old Chinese traditional medicine, has prevented formation of kidney-destroying cysts in a mouse model.
Yale University researcher Craig Crews said his findings hold hope for what would be the first treatment, other than kidney transplant or frequent dialysis, for one of the most lethal of kidney diseases worldwide.
The compound, triptolide, is derived from the Chinese medicinal herb lei gong teng, which has been used in traditional medicine to treat cancer, inflammation, auto-immune diseases and, more recently, in Phase I clinical trials as an anti-tumor agent.
The new study, with mice bred to have a disease similar to human polycystic kidney disease, used triptolide with a less toxic concentration than that used in cancer chemotherapy trials. At that level, the compound markedly reduced cyst formation in the mice compared with genetically similar mice not taking the compound.
Crews detailed the study Sunday during the annual Experimental Biology meeting in Washington.
