which only adds weight to an already complex diagnosis. Now, new research shows that antipsychotics can be reformulated with a strategically engineered coating that not only mitigates unwanted weight gain but also boosts serotonin levels by more than 250%.
The diagnosis is already complicated, and adding more weight to it doesn’t help. However, a new study from the University of South Australia has found that antipsychotic drugs can be reformulated with a specially designed coating that not only reduces unwanted weight gain but also increases serotonin levels by over 250%. This research, funded by the Hospital Research Foundation (THRF) Group, focused on testing Lurasidone, a medication used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar depression. The new coatings target the gut microbiome to improve drug absorption by 8 times and also address common side effects.
Weight gain is one of the effects of certain medications.
These coatings are made from small core-shell particles that are composed of inulin, a dietary fiber, and bioactive medium chain triglycerides. The inulin shell helps to improve the gut microbiome by providing energy for gut bacteria, while the medium chain triglycerides help with the absorption of the drug into the bloodstream.
This discovery is a major breakthrough and could have a significant impact on the lives of millions of people around the world.
Dr. Paul Joyce, the lead researcher at UniSA, believes that these microbiota-targeting microcapsules could improve the effectiveness of mental health medications.
“Most patients currently experience side effects such as weight gain,” Dr. Joyce explains.”People suffering from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder often receive a variety of antipsychotic medications, which cause significant negative effects by disrupting the natural microbial community in the gut,” Dr. Joyce explains. The most noticeable side effect is weight gain, with patients frequently experiencing a 10-15% increase in body weight after only three months of treatment. Since the gut microbiome plays a crucial role in regulating overall health, particularly mood and cognition, the harmful effects of these medications on the microbiome often make them unsuitable.
“The medication doesn’t actually improve mood and cognition, but instead creates a cycle of poor mental and metabolic health. This results in patients struggling with excess weight and mental health issues,” said the researcher.
Additionally, most antipsychotics need to be taken with food for maximum effect. However, ensuring this happens is challenging for many patients, leading to suboptimal drug levels.
It is evident that new strategies are necessary to eliminate side effects and the requirement for these medications to be taken with food. This is precisely what has been achieved with the drug Lurasidon.e.
The study demonstrates that when antipsychotic medications are combined with our innovative smart core-shell microparticles, drug absorption is enhanced, reducing the necessity of taking the medication with food. Additionally, it promotes the diversity and quantity of the gut microbiome to counteract common side effects, such as weight gain.
Crucially, since we are not creating new drugs, but rather modifying existing ones, the new treatments can be expedited for clinical use. This means that we could anticipate their availability within the next few years, as opposed to the 10-15 years typically required for the approval of new drug molecules by regulatory agencies.”
The next steps involveThe effectiveness of these modified treatments in human patients needs to be tested, with the ultimate goal of expanding these technologies to all mental health treatments, including anti-depressants, in order to minimize any negative side effects.
