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Seaweed spray to target depression: An Indian study
– Reported, November 21, 2013
Seaweed spray to target depression: An Indian study.
A nasal spray made from a substance found in seaweed could be a radical new treatment for depression. Currently, antidepressants have to be swallowed as pills and digested, so a certain amount of the medicine doesn’t reach the brain. A nasal spray may be more effective as the nose is a faster route to the brain. But it can be difficult to get enough of the drug to stick to the lining of the nostrils.
The new spray hides the antidepressant in alginate, a jelly-like material derived from brown seaweed. This sticks to the nostrils, keeping the drug in place so it is absorbed.
Scientists at Jamia Hamdard, a university in New Delhi, India, found rats given the antidepressant venlafaxine in the nasal spray had higher levels in their brain than those given it in tablets or as an oral solution.
