The brain produces dozens of chemicals, and the hypothalamus alone is a major component in hormone production. Why can't we use the same processes they use to manufacture beneficial chemicals for things like hormone therapy?
Posted Jul 27, 2012, 5:06 PM UTC
The brain doesn't produce them in quantities that would be commercially viable, it only produces in them in quantities that are useful for brain function.
To produce large quantities, cells can indeed be used, but it's often more useful to use genetically engineered microorganisms that can pump out large quantities, which are then purified from the cell growth medium.
I would guess that the brain produces chemicals on site so less is more. To develop meaningful quantities for oral consumption would require much more of the chemical.
edit: I just realized layman speculation is not allowed here. sorry.
We can, and do, although we do not use the same chemical processes (cellular production of chemicals in that way is not industrially viable). Hormones secreted by the brain are used in medicine for many and varied purposes! Oxytocin (secreted by the pituitary) is used to induce labor--synthetic oxytocin is called "Pitocin," I think. Insulin (a pancreatic hormone) is--well, you know the rest of this one. The Pill contains estrogen and/or progesterone. Glucocorticoid hormones (e.g. cortisol, from the adrenal gland) are used for a wide variety of purposes, including intentional immunosuppression and as anti-inflammitants (these are the steroids you get to reduce swelling when the doctor means business). ADH, another pituitary hormone, is useful for controlling bleeding (actually, a long-lasting analogue is used, but you get the idea).
The reason these are not more common is that most peptide hormones (most, if not all, pituitary hormones) are not easy to deliver orally, being that the stomach is specifically designed to destroy compounds of that type (i.e. proteins; peptide = small protein) with its acid and proteases. I don't know for certain, but I think that's one reason (if not the main reason) diabetics can't just swallow a pill.
In addition, the body very tightly regulates many hormones' concentrations in the body, meaning that if you are doing hormone replacement therapy (even by injection, if necessary), the serum concentration of hormone is pretty much always going to be a little off, because it's either too high when you administer it, or quickly gets too low over the course of the day. Look up HAART for HIV patients. They solve this problem by brute force. Patients have to keep timers and whatnot to tightly regulate the amount of anti-HIV drugs they have in their system.
Now, on the off chance that you meant neurotransmitters, not hormones, I'll discuss that a bit too. First, a bit of neuronal anatomy: neurons signal to other neurons in a network, which ultimately produced behavior (a little like circuits on chip produce a computer, but probably more complicated). They signal to one another across a synapse, a tiny space between the neuron doing the signalling and the neuron receiving the signal. The signalling neuron releases chemicals directly into this space, meaning that the concentration there is very high, but low everywhere else. This means you can't just "give the patient" serotonin. You have to give it to them right in that very spot. And that's why we use drugs like serotonin reuptake inhibitors (specifically SSRIs)--because it prevents the clearing of serotonin from the synapse, rather than adding more. Cocaine does the same thing with dopamine (PSA: don't do cocaine, kids, it's bad for you).
Does that make sense and answer your question?
Yes, that answers my question thoroughly and then some. Thanks.