Research into the natural protective mechanisms of corals may enable the development of a pill that will protect people from ultraviolet radiation, reports BBC News / Health.
A team of researchers from King’s College London visited Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to learn about the genetic and biochemical mechanisms involved in life in ultraviolet-exposed corals. It has been known for some time that corals and some algae protect themselves from harmful radiation thanks to their own sunscreen production.
The specialists examined samples of the endangered coral Acropora, hoping that a substance could be synthesized in the laboratory that would protect it from solar radiation. It turned out that algae living in symbiosis with corals produce a substance that the coral transforms into a protective preparation – for the benefit of both algae and coral. Even coral-eating fish are protected against ultraviolet light – apparently it is possible to pass it by food.
Scientists will copy the genetic code, thanks to which protective substances are synthesized, and then introduce it into the organisms of bacteria, which will synthesize sufficiently large amounts of this specificity. Obtaining the substance directly from the corals would not be possible – the coral is an endangered species. Tests on human skin left over from cosmetic surgery are to begin soon. First, an externally applied lotion will be created, then – a pill that should protect both the skin and eyes.
Crop plants could also benefit from the invention of corals – after genetic modification they would be less exposed to the damaging effects of tropical sun (PAP)