Amanda Cecilia Swart is a South African biochemist who holds a professorship in biochemistry at Stellenbosch University. She is known for her research on rooibos, a herbal tea popular in South Africa, has been funded by the South African Rooibos Council in her research, and is frequently quoted in South African media promoting the reported health benefits of rooibos.

Education and career

Swart completed her MSc in Biology in 1986 and her doctorate at Stellenbosch in 1999, and returned to Stellenbosch as a faculty member in 2002, where she teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in biochemistry. She was instrumental in establishing the P450 Steroid Research Group at Stellenbosch and in 2011 she was appointed associate professor. Her research areas include:

Adrenal The adrenal glands (also known as suprarenal glands) are endocrine glands that produce a variety of hormones including adrenaline and the steroids aldosterone and cortisol. They are found above the kidneys. Each gland has an outer cortex which ...

steroidogenesis,

cytochrome P450 Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) are a Protein superfamily, superfamily of enzymes containing heme as a cofactor (biochemistry), cofactor that functions as monooxygenases. In mammals, these proteins oxidize steroids, fatty acids, and xenobiotics, and are ...

enzymes,

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

, and products derived from the plants '' Aspalatus linearis'' (Rooibos), ''Salsola tuberculatiformis'' Botch. (

Gannabos ''Caroxylon aphyllum'' (commonly known as the ganna or kanna bush) is a small species of shrub in the family Amaranthaceae. It grows in the arid Karoo region of southern Africa. It typically grows in deep, dusty, saline soils, in valley bottoms ...

) and ''

Sutherlandia frutescens ''Sutherlandia frutescens'' (cancer bush, balloon pea, sutherlandia, phetola ("it changes") in seTswana, and insiswa ("the one that drives away the darkness") in isiZulu; syn. ''Colutea frutescens'' L., ''Lessertia frutescens'' (L.) Goldblatt & ...

'' (Cancer bush).

Research

Her primary research focus, and that of the P450 Steroid Research Group, is on the hormones (adrenal steroids) produced by the adrenal gland as well as on the steroidogenic enzymes which catalyse their

biosynthesis Biosynthesis is a multi-step, enzyme-catalyzed process where substrates are converted into more complex products in living organisms. In biosynthesis, simple compounds are modified, converted into other compounds, or joined to form macromolecules. ...

, the metabolism of these steroids in prostate cancer, and their implications in

endocrine disorders Endocrine diseases are disorders of the endocrine system. The branch of medicine associated with endocrine disorders is known as endocrinology. Types of disease Broadly speaking, endocrine disorders may be subdivided into three groups: # Endocrin ...

. Their research also involves the investigation of the effects of plant products on the endocrine system. Swart's research has been sponsored by the National Research Foundation, Cancer Association of South Africa and the SA Rooibos Council. The research is broken into three focus areas:

11β-hydroxyandrostenedione

11β-hydroxyandrostenedione 11β-Hydroxyandrostenedione (11β-OHA4), also known as 11β-hydroxyandrost-4-ene-3,17-dione, is an endogenous, naturally occurring steroid and androgen prohormone that is produced primarily, if not exclusively, in the adrenal glands. It is close ...

is an adrenal steroid and has been implicated in

as well as castration-resistant prostate cancer. Swart investigates the mechanism of this steroid within prostate cancer cells and other cancer cells.

Rooibos

There are two avenues of research regarding rooibos that Swart is pursuing.

Prostate cancer metabolism

Swart's research has suggested that rooibos may have beneficial effects on

by inhibiting

17β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase A hydroxysteroid is a molecule derived from a steroid with a hydrogen replaced with a hydroxy group. When the hydroxy group is specifically at the C3 position, hydroxysteroids are referred to as sterols, with an example being cholesterol. See ...

s and blocking dihydrotestosterone. Her research is also looking at the effect of rooibos on the PSA enzyme marker which is used as a test for prostate cancer.

Cortisol and stress

Her research has suggested that drinking rooibos may lower stress through the effects of two compounds in it,

aspalathin Aspalathin is a C-linked dihydrochalcone glucoside found in rooibos tea, a herbal tea prepared from the South African rooibos plant, ''Aspalathus linearis'' ( Fabaceae). It was first isolated in 1965 by chromatography In chemical analy ...

and

nothofagin Nothofagin is a dihydrochalcone. It is a ''C''-linked phloretin glucoside found in rooibos Rooibos ( ; , meaning "red bush"), or ''Aspalathus linearis'', is a broom-like member of the plant family Fabaceae that grows in South Africa's fy ...

. Under laboratory conditions these compounds block the production of a stress hormone,

cortisol Cortisol is a steroid hormone, in the glucocorticoid class of hormones. When used as a medication, it is known as hydrocortisone. It is produced in many animals, mainly by the ''zona fasciculata'' of the adrenal cortex in the adrenal gland ...

. She has claimed that rooibos has the potential to prevent heart disease, reduce the effects of aging, and promote weight loss.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Swart, Amanda South African biochemists Women biochemists South African women chemists Stellenbosch University alumni Academic staff of Stellenbosch University Year of birth missing (living people) Living people