Amanda Cecilia Swart is a South African biochemist who holds a professorship in biochemistry at

Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University (SU) (, ) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Sahara ...

. She is known for her research on

rooibos Rooibos ( ; , ), or , is a broom (shrub), broom-like member of the plant family Fabaceae that grows in South Africa's Fynbos biome. The leaves are used to make a caffeine-free herbal tea, herbal infusion that has been popular in Southern Afri ...

, 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 A steroid is an organic compound with four fused rings (designated A, B, C, and D) arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter memb ...

cytochrome P450 Cytochromes P450 (P450s or CYPs) are a Protein superfamily, superfamily of enzymes containing heme as a cofactor (biochemistry), cofactor that mostly, but not exclusively, function as monooxygenases. However, they are not omnipresent; for examp ...

enzymes,

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

, 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 Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No defini ...

) and '' Sutherlandia frutescens'' (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 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 adrenal corte ...

as well as on the

steroidogenic enzyme __NOTOC__ Steroidogenic enzymes are enzymes that are involved in steroidogenesis and steroid biosynthesis. They are responsible for the biosynthesis of the steroid hormones, including sex steroids (androgens, estrogens, and progestogens) and co ...

s which

catalyse Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...

their

biosynthesis Biosynthesis, i.e., chemical synthesis occurring in biological contexts, is a term most often referring to multi-step, enzyme-Catalysis, catalyzed processes where chemical substances absorbed as nutrients (or previously converted through biosynthe ...

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

s and blocking

dihydrotestosterone Dihydrotestosterone (DHT, 5α-dihydrotestosterone, 5α-DHT, androstanolone or stanolone) is an endogenous androgen sex steroid and hormone primarily involved in the growth and repair of the prostate and the penis, as well as the production o ...

. 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 ana ...

and

nothofagin Nothofagin is a dihydrochalcone. It is a ''C''-linked phloretin glucoside found in rooibos (''Aspalathus linearis'') and New Zealand red beech (''Nothofagus fusca''). It is a phenolic antioxidant Antioxidants are Chemical compound, comp ...

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

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

. 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