Pueblo -- A $1.2 million grant to the University of Southern Colorado may
help to protect consumers from the health risks of produce and allow
pharmaceutical companies to create better anti-fungal drug products.
USC's Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) Program recently received the
grant from the National Institutes for Health. The program has existed at USC
since 1981 and has received more than $7.7 million dollars in support from the
National Institutes of Health. A total of 157 students have participated in the
MBRS program and their research has contributed to 130 publications and 211
presentations.
With a minority enrollment of 38 percent, USC is home to the most diverse
student population in the state of Colorado.
A portion of the grant money will go to Sandra Bonetti, professor of chemistry
and director of the MBRS Program, and Chemistry Professor David Lehmpuhl for
their research in the evolution of fungal cell surfaces.
"We are studying the surface and the chemical nature of the surface of
fungus," Bonetti said.
Through this research, pharmaceutical companies that create anti-fungal drugs
can design them better, Bonetti said.
The research is mainly focused on the Penicillium fungus that is closely related
to the Aspergillus fungus, which causes the disease Aspergillosis. According to
the Miller-Keane Medical Dictionary, this disease is marked by a mass of
chronically inflamed tissue lesions in the skin, ear, nasal sinuses, lungs, and
sometimes bones.
According to Bonetti, the disease is primarily found in people with low immune
systems and it can cause death.
Moussa Diawara, professor of biology, received the other portion of the grant
money for his studies on psoralen-induced reproductive toxicity.
The psoralens (or linear furanocoumarins) are naturally occurring chemical
compounds found in several plants, including celery, radishes, and parsley. They
are also found in the outer skin of grapefruit, lemons, and oranges.
Plants produce psoralens as a defense mechanism against bugs and disease
pathogens. When human skin comes in contact with high levels of psoralens, it
causes dermatitis or skin burn. At low levels, the psoralens may help protect
from cancer as an anti-carcinogenic. However, at high levels they are toxic,
according to Diawara.
"There is generally a safety net making the consumer safe," Diawara
said. "There is a screen in place to ensure that plants with hazardous
levels of these compounds do not make it to the market" so there is no harm
in eating vegetables and fruits.
Interestingly, relatively high doses of synthetic forms of psoralens are used to
treat psoriasis, a chronic skin disease characterized by red patches covered
with white scales. The treatment is done in combination with ultraviolet
irradiation in a medicinal procedure referred to as PUVA. The medicinal use of
psoralens has been linked to increased incidence of skin cancer and even death
following complications.
"Several studies have already been done on the psoralens to show their
carcinogenic nature, but we are basically the first group to undertake extensive
studies on their reproductive toxicity," Diawara said.
Diawara has been doing research on the toxic effects of psoralens on the
reproductive and endocrine systems in rats, which, like humans, are a part of
the mammalian family. His preliminary research has found that psoralens have a
negative affect on sperm count, estrogen production and birth weights.
Diawara emphasized that these affects apply more to the ingestion of drugs
containing psoralens than the eating of vegetables and fruits.
"The studies should help provide dramatic insight into the potential
reproductive toxicity of the psoralens in female and male reproductive systems
and reduce the risk in women and men who are exposed to therapeutic (medicinal
use), dietary (produce handling and/or consumption), cosmetic (sunscreen use),
or occupational (agricultural or industrial work) psoralens; so there is both a
basic and applied research aspect," Diawara said.
The University of Southern Colorado is a regional, comprehensive university
emphasizing professional, career-oriented and applied programs. Displaying
excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and
outreach, USC is distinguished by access, opportunity and the overall quality of
services provided to its students.
