Food Dye May Provide 'Blueprint' For Certain Diseases, New Treatments Available

The food dye Brilliant Blue FCF (BB FCF) may actually be a useful tool in the development of treatments for a variety of conditions involving the membrane channel protein Pannexin 1 (Panx1), according to a recent study, also known as the protein encoded by this gene belongs to the innexin family or members of the structural components of gap junctions. 

Panx1 is involved in signaling events leading to inflammation and eventually, cell death, that has negative and even deadly complications in such diverse diseases as Crohn's, AIDS, melanoma, epilepsy, spinal cord injuries, and stroke, among others. Because of this, there is high demand for the development of pharmacological tools to inhibit Panx1.

Researchers from the University of Miami School of Medicine now demonstrate that BB FCF is a selective inhibitor of Panx1 and may therefore be added to the repertoire of the drugs that could be used to help ease problems associated with certain illnesses. However, as the unintended consequence of treatment with BB FCF could be a temporarily blue skin tone in patients, researchers may conclude that BB FCF might best be used to identify structurally similar substances to aid treatment.

The findings for the study are found in The Journal of General Physiology.