Pharmacy Daily | Pharmacy sets sights on goji

RESEARCHERS from Sydney University’s Faculty of Pharmacy have found that the goji berry may help fight blindness caused by longterm diabetes. Headed up by Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Basil Roufogalis, the study involved two in vitro tests investigating the potential of goji, which is abundant in taurine - an ingredient credited with anti-oxidative, antiinflammatory and immuno-modulating properties which could protect the retina. “Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness for people with diabetes, with up to 60 per cent of people living with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes developing chronic hyperglycaemia, a condition which can damage retina cells,” said Professor Roufogalis. Initial findings of the study showed that the goji berry and its taurine component activated a nuclear receptor protein called PPAR-gamma, a response which coincided with protection against the death of cells caused by high concentrations of glucose in the retina. “We then wanted to see whether the same extracts of goji berry and its pure taurine had an effect on protecting the retinal barrier against toxin invasion when the barrier is typically damaged by high glucose in diabetes patients,” said Professor Roufogalis. “What we found is that both the pure taurine and the taurine-laden goji berry extract protected the retina against increased permeability of the protective barrier through its actions on the PPAR-gamma receptor, thereby helping the epithelial cells that provide the protective barrier to the retina,” he added. The researchers now hold hope that the results will lead the way to human clinical trials.

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