From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris) Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative Subject: Re: Alzheimers News Date: 7 May 1998 08:49:02 GMT In <eeeEsK7z4.LLv@netcom.com> eee@netcom.com (Mark Thorson) writes: >In article <noahdove-ya023480000605981216280001@news.lightspeed.bc.ca>, >Noah's Dove <noahdove@lightspeed.bc.ca> wrote: > >>In "Report Of Treatment Of Alzheimer's Disease With Alphanae >>Klamathomenon Flos-Aqua" (Journal of Orthomedicine, 1985, vol. VIII, >>number 1&2) Dr. Gabriel Cousens relates a case of two Alzheimer's >>sufferers who showed significant positive change after being given >>"alphanae klamathomenon flos-aqua or AFA, a nutrient rich blue-green >>algae, for a trial period of one year. > >But what could be in the algae that has an effect on Alzheimer's? >This species of algae is known to produce high levels >of anatoxin-a. Here's an interesting quote about anatoxin-a >with regard to Alzheimer's. > >Quoting from _The_Journal_of_Pharmacology_and_ >_Experimental_Therapeutics_, volume 259, number 1, >"Nicotinic Pharmacology of Anatoxin Analogs. II. Side >Chain Structure-Activity Relationships at Neuronal >Nicotinic Ligand Binding Sites", by Wonnacott, Jackman, >Swanson, Rapoport, and Albuquerque, 1991, pages 390-391: > >"Such analysis assumes greater urgency with the >realization that brain acetylcholinesterase receptors >identified by high-affinity tritiated agonist binding are >decreased in Alzheimer's disease (see Kellar and >Wonnacott, 1990), and that nicotine treatment has given an >encouraging result with respect to cognitive performance >in Alzheimer patients (Sahakian _et_al_, 1989, 1990). >Thus, centrally acting nicotinic agents could have an >important therapeutic future in the symptomatic treatment >of Alzheimer's disease (see Kellar and Wonnacott, 1990). >Anatoxin-a is a useful core structure for such drug design >because, as a secondary amine, it readily crosses the >blood brain barrier." Fascinating. Now if the damned SBGA people would just admit the stuff is in their algae, and standardize the algae for it, it might be worth something. I can think of all kinds of medical uses for nicotinics that cross the BBB. Alzheimers and smoking cessation being two. But maybe as chronic fatigue treatments, dry mouth treatments, memory enhancers, tardive dyskinesia treatments, etc, etc. And don't forget it was me who first suggested that anatoxin a might be the active ingredient in the stuff, and SBGA might not be a complete scam or placebo. Steve Harris, M.D. From: eee@netcom.com (Mark Thorson) Subject: Retraction of Anatoxin-a Primer Date: 2000/04/02 Message-ID: <8c63n5$aq0$1@slb0.atl.mindspring.net> Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition EXHIBIT B subject: Retraction of Anatoxin-a Primer During the last several years, I have from time to time posted to this and other newsgroups a file of information called "An Anatoxin-a Primer." I now retract the statements made in the Anatoxin-a Primer. The Anatoxin-a Primer implied that Super Blue Green Algae from Klamath Lake, produced by Cell Tech, contains anatoxin-a (a neurotoxin I characterized as addictive), and that Cell Tech deliberately avoids testing for this toxin because anatoxin-a is responsible for the effects reported by SBGA users. I have since been advised that Cell Tech conducts regular tests that would disclose anatoxin-a, and that this toxin has never been found in Super Blue Green Algae. I had no basis for the suggestions I made in the Anatoxin-a Primer, and I hereby retract it in full. Message-ID: <3CCF8456.1E6D642@sonic.net> From: Mark Thorson <nospam@sonic.net> Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative Subject: Presented without comment Date: Wed, 01 May 2002 05:59:28 GMT Food Addit Contam 2001 Jun;18(6):525-31 Identification of anatoxins in blue-green algae food supplements using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Draisci R, Ferretti E, Palleschi L, Marchiafava C. Veterinary Medicine Laboratory, Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Rome, Italy. Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) in tablets and capsules, which are marketed as health food supplements, were investigated for the presence of neurotoxins related to anatoxin-a. These neurotoxins, which are nicotinic agonists, were investigated using isocratic micro-liquid chromatograph-tandem mass spectrometry (micro-LC-MS-MS). The investigated compounds were anatoxin-a and homoanatoxin-a, together with their degradation products, dihydroanatoxin-a, epoxyanatoxin-a, dihydrohomoanatoxin-a and epoxyhomoanatoxin-a which were synthesized from the parent toxins. The analytes were extracted with methanol followed by isocratic chromatography on a micro C18 reversed-phase column using acetonitrile-water, 50:50 (v/v), containing 20 mm acetic acid at 30 microl min(-1). The toxins were ionized in an ionspray (IS) interface operating in the positive ion mode, where the intact protonated molecules, [M + H]+, were generated at m/z 166, m/z 168, m/z 182, m/z 180, m/z 182 and m/z 196, for anatoxin-a, dihydroanatoxin-a, epoxyanatoxin-a, homoanatoxin-a, dihydrohomoanatoxin-a and epoxyhomoanatoxin-a, respectively. These served as precursor ions for collision-induced-dissociation (CID) and diagnostic product ions for these anatoxins were identified to carry out toxin confirmation by selected reaction monitoring (SRM) LC-MS-MS analysis. Dihydrohomoanatoxin-a and a novel isomer of epoxyanatoxin-a were identified in blue-green algae tablets. This finding suggests that a potential human health hazard could be associated with the consumption of these food supplements. |