(Image source from: www.alaskafromscratch.com)

Are you dealing with alcohol use, chronic pain, and mood disorders? In that case, this green veggie would help you out to alleviate.

A large protein found in spinach may help in the development of new medications for millions around the world dealing with the aforementioned disorders, according to researchers from Purdue University.

The study found two peptides which are naturally metabolic products of Rubisco - a large protein found in numerous plants in particular spinach - that may help in the development of recent medications. 

"These disorders are currently not adequately managed," said Richard van Rijn, Assistant Professor at Purdue.

"Better medications that take a more holistic approach and produce fewer side effects will be beneficial."

"We discovered that these peptides selectively activate the known beneficial pathways without activating the 'side-effect pathways' of the receptor," van Rijn added.

The discovery, published in the European Neuropsychopharmacology, aims to develop molecules that only activate the cellular signaling pathways related to their healing effect.

Preclinical studies suggest that the peptides are orally bioavailable and able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, both of which are necessary for a drug to effectively treat a disorder of the central nervous system, van Rijn said.

The researchers are actively following synthetic and computational strategies to improve these peptides to make them more effective.

The rubiscolin peptides are likewise being looked into for their ability to regulate dietary intake and are as well commercially obtainable in anti-aging skin products.

-Sowmya Sangam