X-Message-Number: 22246 From: Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 13:36:38 EDT Subject: Re: CryoNet #22240 Inquiry about prions --part1_137.22de62bc.2c517326_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit From Francois: > First, most protein based foods are cooked, > which denatures proteins. Then, the consumed proteins are digested and > broken down to their constituant amino acids. Third, those proteins that > escape digestion will no easily go throught the gut's lining and enter the > blood stream. And fourth, even if some protein molecules manage to get into > the blood, the brain blood barrier will not allow them through. In view of > all those obstacles, I find it remarkable that prion based desease can be so > easily transmitted. 1/Prions are very stable, and usual cooking temperature can't destroy them, Only kilns can destroy them. 2/ A way to use protein drugs is to eat them with some chicken peas: They block the digestive process and let the protein undigested. Surely, many other products do the same with more or less efficiency. 3/ Many things go to the blood, a simple example is given by the carotenoids used as "chemical sun tan". 4/ No barrier is 100% efficient, if it works 99.99999999 % , one molecule in ten billions will pass and the catalytic property of prions will produce an exponential growth. After 33 doubling times, there will be 8 billions molecules and so everything will be as if there was no brain blood barrier at all. The barrier produces a delay in the infection process but it can't stop it. Yvan Bozzonetti. --part1_137.22de62bc.2c517326_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" [ AUTOMATICALLY SKIPPING HTML ENCODING! ] Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=22246