Partner Institute
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee and NIMHANS.
A major lack of understanding about the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD) poses the greatest challenge in the development of highly efficacious treatments against this disease. Furthermore, symptoms of BD have considerable overlap with other neuropsychiatric diseases (like anxiety, depression, mania etc.) complicating existing symptom-based diagnosis. Although miRNA, proteomic and metabolic profiling of BD patients has been undertaken as diagnostic tools for BD, the role of exosomes has not been explored in a similar vein.
This project aims to assess whether biochemical changes in exosomes of patients with BD and other allied neurological disorders (like anxiety, depression, mania etc.) can induce neurotoxicity in neuronal cell cultures. Further, based on the aforementioned situation of limited therapeutic options, a safer alternative to fight these neurological disorders is envisioned as a part of the study. To achieve the same, exploring nutraceuticals/dietary supplements has been targeted in this study, as these agents can act on multiple targets simultaneously.
Studies on neuronal cell lines treated with reserpine and glutamine were conducted, and these identified different biomarkers expressed during cellular stress. Thus, an in-vitro neuronal cell-based BD model was developed, that is currently being validated for wider applicability. Data thus far reveal that co-treatment with these drugs leads to BD like symptoms in neuronal cell lines. Further, an in-vitro screening model for testing the potential of certain nutraceuticals such as honey and an ayurvedic polyherbal formulation for the prevention/ management of BD has been developed.
Currently the study is in progress to understand its underlying mechanism of action. Another achievement of the project has been the revelation that serum constitutes of BD patients impact the normal functioning of neuronal cell cultures in-vitro.