SEATTLE, Aug. 22, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plandaí Biotechnology, Inc., (OTCBB:PLPL) a producer of highly bioavailable plant extracts, today discussed the advantages of its proprietary green tea gallate catechin extract, Phytofare™ for treating a broad spectrum of parasitic and bacterial infections, specifically targeting blood stages of the malaria parasite, plasmodium falciparum. Malaria claimed the lives of 655,000 people, mainly children, in 2010, according to the World Health Organization.
While recent studies have confirmed the effectiveness of green tea as a glucose inhibitor in laboratory studies, the transition to in vivo results have been hindered by the low oral bioavailability of its polyphenolic catechins. Moreover, absorbed green tea catechins are known to undergo rapid and extensive metabolic transformations. As a result, while lab results using green tea catechins have been overwhelmingly positive, duplicating these results in human studies have faced challenges. The studies conclude that eight fold higher concentrations of green tea gallate catechin (EGCG) were found necessary to show induced lethal effects on the malarial sporozoites—a clinical dose that would require an enormous daily consumption of green tea.
Plandaí Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Roger Duffield, commented, "The proprietary process employed by Plandaí to extract green tea catechins results in a product with six to eight times greater bioavailability than traditional extracts, with the opportunity to be modified specifically to combat a variety of infectious diseases. Essentially, we engineer our extracts for maximum absorption by human tissues and targeted to specific infections."
Artemesinin, long regarded as the "gold standard" for treating malaria has, up to now, been almost 100 per cent effective. However, resistance to it was first detected in western Cambodia in 2009, but has now spread 800km to the west. Experts are alarmed because, twice before, resistance to the then gold standard anti-malarial drugs – chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine – has started in the same region before spreading to South-east Asia and Africa, leading to the deaths of millions of children. Experts described the development as "very worrying indeed" and warned the effects could be "devastating".
Phytofare™ promises to be a safe, natural, and inexpensive option for preventing malaria by inhibiting the parasite's ability to uptake glucose, essentially killing the parasite by starvation.
About Plandaí Biotechnology, Inc.
Plandaí Biotechnology, Inc., through its recent acquisition of Global Energy Solutions, Ltd. and its subsidiaries, focuses on the farming of whole fruits, vegetables and live plant material and the production of proprietary functional foods and botanical extracts for the health and wellness industry. Its principle holdings consist of land, farms and infrastructure in South Africa.
Safe Harbor Statement
The information provided may contain forward-looking statements and involve risks and uncertainties. Results, events and performances could vary from those contemplated. These statements involve risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results, expressed or implied, to differ from predicted outcomes. Risks and uncertainties include product demand, market competition, and Plandaí's ability to meet current or future plans. Investors should study and understand all risks before making an investment decision. Readers are recommended not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Plandaí is not obliged to publicly release revisions to any forward-looking statement, to reflect events or circumstances afterward, or to disclose unanticipated occurrences, except as required under applicable laws.