Vampire Bats and Stroke Treatment
A study on animal models suggests that an ingredient in vampire bat saliva might someday help in treating stroke victims. But an expert cautions that its premature to say whether the treatment would be safe and effective for humans
Friday, February 7, 2003
It sounds spooky, but a substance in the saliva of vampire bats could someday help treat victims of stroke. Findings of an Australian study, reported in the journal Stroke, indicate that DSPA, a compound secreted by the vampire bat when it bites its victim, could be administered to stroke victims to help dissolve clots and increase blood flow, resulting in reduced brain damage. Dr. Larry Goldstein, director of the Stroke Center and professor of medicine in the Division of Neurology at Duke University Medical Center, says the research is intriguing but urges caution because the data remain very preliminary. "First, it was done in mice, and it was done in mice without stroke. In addition, there were no behavioral measures, even in these animals." Goldstein also cautions that it's far too early to reach any conclusions about the substance's value for stroke victims. "What the study shows is some theoretic potential advantages of a compound such as this as compared to the compound that we currently have available. However, there are miles between showing this in an animal model and then translating that into a clinically relevant effect in humans." I'm Cabell Smith for MedMinute.
