NRG-3 is in demand by plant food researchers. However, it was originally developed as a triple reuptake inhibitor †in other words, an antidepressant. Evidently, plants don’t get depressed †so far as we know. So, how did NRG-3 end up in plant food? Well, strange as it may seem, there is more in common with plants and people than first meets the eye. But first, you have to know how triple reuptake inhibitors work. In animals, nerve impulses operate by means of chemicals called neurotransmitters. Once the impulse is complete, these chemicals are â€switched off†by reuptake chemicals called transporters. It can be beneficial to prevent this happening, which is where triple reuptake inhibitors (TRIs) like naphyrone come in. They block the recycling of 3 transmitters: serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. This leads to a build-up of these compounds in the body, enhancing their effects. TRIs cause side effects owing to their effect on the catecholamines i.e. â€flight or fight†hormones. Today, they’ve been largely overtaken by serotonin-selective drugs. However, back in the 1990s it was discovered that the catecholamines dopamine and norepinephrine are found in plants, along with serotonin. At the time, their function was poorly understood. This has changed †hence the excitement. In mammals, the catecholamines are known to mobilise glycogen to release energy (the flight or fight response.) In 2006 Kulma et al, of the Department of Genetic Biochemistry, University of Wroclaw showed they have a similar role in plants, regulating sugar metabolism in response to stress and playing an important part in growth and development. They also protect against attack by pathogens, and are involved in nitrogen detoxification. Serotonin has a similar effect, and has proven of commercial importance in protecting seeds from a build-up of poisonous ammonia, which is exciting news for both the farmer and the gardener. We at Researchchemicals4u are proud to support plant food research, by supplying highly purified research chemicals to biochemists and teans across the UK.
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