A few studies that came out recently suggested that chronic use of benzodiazepine drugs (benzos) such as Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, etc is linked to high unemployment, brain damage and suicide, even after their usage has been discontinued years ago. The study below may provide a plausible mechanism for the negative effects induced by those drugs. Namely, the study found that benzo drugs blind to and block the activity of a protein that is vital for keeping levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under control. Ergo, with chronic benzo usage ROS levels rise leading to chronic inflammation and cellular damage/death, which can manifest in wide variety of disease such as (as the study points out below) cancer, arthritis, dementia, autoimmune conditions, etc.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2323045122
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250414162211.htm
“…Now, a research team led by Virginia Commonwealth University and Columbia University has gained novel insights into a protein suspected to be involved in benzodiazepine-related inflammation. Their findings, published March 27 in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could inform strategies to improve benzodiazepine drug design as well as open new opportunities for treating inflammation-related conditions, including certain cancers, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis.”
“…Benzodiazepines produce their therapeutic effect by binding with GABAA receptors in the brain; however, the drug has an equally strong affinity to human mitochondrial tryptophan-rich sensory proteins (HsTSPO1), located on the outer membrane of mitochondria in cells. This type of protein is linked to several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, and researchers have suspected that HsTSPO1 may be involved in certain side effects of benzodiazepine drugs.”
“…Through this method, the research team found evidence to suggest that HsTSPO1 functions as an enzyme. They discovered that HsTSPO1 breaks down protoporphyrin IX, a compound found in oxygen-rich red blood cells, to create a novel product that the scientists have named bilindigin. This product helps control the level of “reactive oxygen species” (ROS) in our bodies, a type of compound that can lead to inflammation and kill cells if left unregulated. This finding suggests that, when valium and other benzodiazepines bind to HsTSPO1, they inhibit the protein’s ability to manage ROS levels in our cells. This may help explain why such medications cause side effects over time, though more research is needed to fully understand whether these molecular mechanisms play a part in driving adverse side effects.”
