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Blue agave is a fruit used to make tequila. Natural compounds from this fruit have been found in earlier laboratory studies to be potentially effective in the delivery of drugs to the colon than conventional drug-carriers.

Such were the findings of chemists at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico which could lead to improved treatments for ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, cancer, Crohn's disease and other colon diseases.

According to the study’s researchers:

The tequila compounds, a class of polysaccharides known as fructans, were developed by the scientists in Mexico into tiny microspheres that are capable of carrying existing drugs that are used to treat colon diseases.

Because the compounds resist destruction in the stomach, they could allow more of the drugs to reach the colon intact and improve their effectiveness.

The study’s findings have recently been presented at the 233rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Find more details from the full report.

[photo credit: andrew.stottsan.net]