CC BY
6ВОДНЫЕ РАСТВОРЫ В БИОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ СИСТЕМАХ
WATER SERVES AS A PRIMARY TARGET FOR THE ACTION OF HIGH DILUTION OF HOMEOPATHIC DRUG
ON BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN
Nirmal Chandra Sukul, Raj Kumar Singh, Nibedita Pande, Anirban Sukul
Sukul Institute of Homeopathic Research, Santiniketan, West Bengal, India.
Homeopathic drugs are usually used in extremely high dilutions containing no original drug molecules but they still produce biological effects. High dilutions (HDs) of a drug prepared by serial dilution with a solvent medium 1:100, followed by mechanical agitation in several steps are called potencies. Water molecules play an important role on protein structure and function. We focused our observation on water molecules associated with BSA. High dilution (HD) of a homeopathic drug is thought to be specific water structure which produces therapeutic effects on man. HDs also produce effects on animals, plants and even proteins in aqueous solution. What is the primary target of HDs on organisms or on protein? The present study addresses this question. Can-tharis 30 cH, a homeopathic potency used for burn injuries, has been tested on bovine serum albumin (BSA) in-vitro. The protein has been exposed to heat at 750C for 10 mins, cooled down to room temperature and then treated with Cantharis 30 cH. The treatment was done by two methods, direct and indirect through water. (i) Direct method: The Cantharis potency solution was mixed with BSA solution directly.
(ii) Indirect method: The drug solution and BSA solution were kept in two separate test tubes which were connected by a water filled tube. The two ends of this tube were plugged by cotton balls in such a way that there would be no exchange of solutions between the two test tubes. Only water in the two test tubes maintains contact.
The results from both the methods are almost similar. The treated and untreated protein solutions were analysed by Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The treatment effect was evident on water molecules associated with BSA. Treatment of heat exposed BSA with Cantharis shows a marked change in absorbance intensity as compared to untreated heat exposed BSA. Hydrophobic interactions are responsible for the collapse of the protein chains in aqueous solution.
Absorbance intensity and frequency shifts of both OH-stretching and bending bands in direct and indirect treatments are comparable. These parameters indicate interaction of Cantharis solution with water molecules, in the hydration shell of BSA.
The results indicate that Cantharis 30 cH interacts with water molecules which in turn influence BSA. It is concluded that the homeopathic potency converts first water structure which then affects the protein. Based on the results on this experiment we can assumes that the primary target of all homeopathic potencies is water which constitutes the major component of all living organisms. All biomolecules are suspended in water.
