The antidepressants used today block the return transport of serotonin and thereby also the removal of active serotonin, a chemical that plays a major role in regulating our levels of happiness. Such a blockage would require large doses of the antidepressant, which can consequently bring risks of their own such as weight problems, drowsiness, dry mouth and impacts on blood pressure. However, a new substance can be added to the antidepressant mix to lower the required dosage and alleviate side effects, according to scientists from the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) in Denmark.

Modern antidepressants typically work by binding to the same site as serotonin on the serotonin transporter (SERT). Severe forms of depression may call for stronger antidepressants than those administered to mild and moderate sufferers, including tricyclic antidepressants, which can cause serious side effects.

The scientists spent a long time screening substances in the lab to find a one that binds to an alternate location on the SERT known as the allosteric site. The new binding would enable regulation of the SERT, as opposed to blocking it altogether, thereby boosting the performance of tricyclic antidepressants. A substance called Lu AF60097 was found to do the trick – in experiments in cells and on rats, the substance demonstrated “pronounced, pharmacological effects” on both.

UCPH’s Claus Juul Løland explains, “We have shown that when we bind this substance to the allosteric site while giving the tricyclic antidepressant, we can amplify the binding of the antidepressant substance.

Therefore, we can use a much smaller concentration of the antidepressant substance. It might cause fewer side effects, but have the same therapeutic effect.”

The scientists thus hope Lu AF60097 paves the way for safer forms of treatment that can be tolerated by more sufferers of the illness and would someday become a clinically approved drug to treat severe depression.

Along our backs, between each of our vertebrae, is a spinal disc consisting of a rubbery exterior called the annulus and a shock-absorbing, jelly like substance called the nucleus.  Although mostly resistant to the wear and tear of daily life, the annulus may allow some of the nucleus to leak out and bulge into adjacent nerves, irritating them. The ruptured spinal disc is known as a herniated disc – a new treatment developed by Italian and American scientists both refills and patches the painful herniated discs, which is much more desirable than current surgical options.

After first removing the leaked nucleus, the scientists’ 10-minute procedure involves refilling the “deflated” disc with a replacement material and eventually sewing up the tear in the annulus. The replacement material is typically a hyaluronic acid gel while a collagen/riboflavin gel is applied to the tear in the annulus. When the photoactive riboflavin in the latter gel is activated by exposure to a high-intensity light source, the collagen fibres begin to “cross-link” with one another and form a solid patch. Cells from the surrounding annulus migrate into that patch over time, gradually replacing it with natural biological tissue and preventing repeat leakages.

The process has reportedly been successfully trialed on sheep and could soon see clinical application.

A delighted Prof. Lawrence Bonassar, Cornell University, US, who led the collaboration, said, “This is really a whole new approach to treating people who have herniated discs, other than walking around with a big hole in their intervertebral disc and hoping that it doesn’t re-herniate or continue to degenerate.”

Many people in the US experience back pain as a result of herniated discs or damaged vertebrae. Prof. Bonassar added that the new technique could be used to address this problem and also “fully restore the mechanical performance of the spine” in under two months post-injury.