title: Purple sweet potato colour--a potential therapy for galactosemia?
abstract: Galactosemia is an inherited metabolic disease in which galactose is not properly metabolised. There are various theories to explain the molecular pathology, and recent experimental evidence strongly suggests that oxidative stress plays a key role. High galactose diets are damaging to experimental animals and oxidative stress also plays a role in this toxicity which can be alleviated by purple sweet potato colour (PSPC). This plant extract is rich in acetylated anthocyanins which have been shown to quench free radical production. The objective of this Commentary is to advance the hypothesis that PSPC, or compounds therefrom, may be a viable basis for a novel therapy for galactosemia.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast , Belfast , UK.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Timson
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D000818:Animals; D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000032:analysis; D005693:Galactosemias / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D027723:Ipomoea batatas / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D035281:Plant Tubers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins; D000975:Antioxidants; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Anthocyanin; galactose 1-phosphate uridylyltransferase deficiency; galactosemia; inherited metabolic disease; oxidative stress; sweet potato