China News Service, Hong Kong, April 6 (Reporter Dai Xiaolu) The reporter learned from the School of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on the 6th that its scientific research team has made breakthrough progress in the field of depression drug research and development and discovered homovanillic acid (Homovanillic acid, HVA) has the effect of relieving depression and provides a new strategic direction for the treatment of depression.
It is understood that this research was completed by Jia Wei, tenured professor of the School of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, Zheng Xiaojiao, professor of the Sixth People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Liu Tiemin, professor of the School of Life Sciences of Fudan University, and other experts and their scientific research teams. Research has found that homovanillic acid (HVA) and intestinal bacteria (R. intestinalis, B. longum) play an important role in alleviating depression, bringing a new perspective to the development of new drugs for depression.
According to the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, the important breakthrough of this scientific research discovery is to clarify the metabolic characteristics of clinical patients with first-episode depression. On the basis of clinical findings, the scientific research team also conducted animal experiments, confirming that homovanillic acid and two intestinal bacteria have good antidepressant effects.
Jia Wei said that this research discovery is a landmark result of the scientific research team's many years of scientific exploration in the regulation of intestinal metabolites and brain neural function mechanisms. It is also a new advancement in the scientific discovery of the early gut-brain axis. He and the research team are deeply encouraged and hope that this discovery can bring a ray of light to the gloomy world of patients with depression. (over)