Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs, causing inflammation and damaging organs. A new study has now shown that the natural active ingredient gluconolactone restores immune regulation, reduces inflammation and could enable targeted therapy with fewer side effects.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs, causing inflammation and damaging organs. A new study has now shown that the natural active ingredient gluconolactone restores immune regulation, reduces inflammation and could enable targeted therapy with fewer side effects.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs, causing inflammation and damaging organs. A new study co-led by the University of Zurich has now shown that the natural active ingredient gluconolactone restores immune regulation, reduces inflammation and could enable targeted therapy with fewer side effects. Systemic lupus erythematosus, or lupus, is a complex autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue, often affecting the skin, joints, kidneys and nervous system. Lupus symptoms include inflammation, skin rashes, joint pain and organ damage. To date, treatments have focused on immunosuppressive drugs, which slow down the progression of the disease but often come with considerable side effects. A study co-led by the University of Zurich has now revealed a promising new approach in which a naturally occurring molecule, gluconolactone, could help re-balance the immune system without suppressing it.Regulatory T cells, or Tregs, play a key role in balancing our immune system. They prevent the immune system from attacking the body's own cells and curb harmful inflammation in our bodies. In lupus, this balance is disrupted. UZH researcher Antonios Kolios and a team of scientists from Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have now shown that gluconolactone significantly increases the number and function of Tregs in both mice and humans. The active ingredient not only promoted the formation of Tregs in cell cultures but also inhibited two pro-inflammatory subgroups of T helper cells which are significantly involved in autoimmune reactions. In other words, gluconolactone contributes to a more balanced immune environment."Gluconolactone acts like a 'power food' for regulatory T cells -- a real win-win situation for immune regulation," says Antonios Kolios, a research group leader at the Department of Dermatology at UZH. This effect was also observed in a special mouse model for lupus, in which mice had been genetically engineered to develop a lupus-like disease. Gluconolactone improved the function of Tregs in the animals and alleviated inflammatory skin rashes that typically occur in lupus.In addition, the mechanism was also confirmed in studies on cells from lupus patients, where gluconolactone strengthened the regulatory T cells and helped to re-balance the immune system. One gluconolactone cream that proved particularly promising led to visible improvements in a clinical study in patients with cutaneous lupus after just two weeks."These results suggest that gluconolactone could be a targeted treatment option with fewer side effects for autoimmune diseases such as lupus," says Antonios Kolios.By strengthening the body's protective immune cells and curbing excessive inflammation, gluconolactone could be a promising option not only for treating lupus, but also for other autoimmune skin diseases such as psoriasis as well as systemic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Before clinical use is possible, however, further studies are needed to confirm the active ingredient's effectiveness and safety. In the meantime, Kolios has filed a patent for the use of gluconolactone.Wei Li, Antonios G. A. Kolios, Wenliang Pan, Catalina Burbano, Kohei Karino, Theodoros Vichos, Morgane Humbel, Vasileios C. Kyttaris, Maria G. Tsokos, George C. Tsokos.A single large population of healer cells, called regulatory T cells, is whizzing around our body -- not multiple specialist populations restricted to specific parts of the body as previously ... One shot in the arm, and the whole body is protected. But how? For one thing, the immune system produces antibodies and cells that patrol the entire organism by traveling through the bloodstream. For ... Autoimmune diseases, in which the body's own immune system attacks healthy tissue, can be life-threatening and can impact all organs. A research team has now found a possible cause for these ... As we age, the immune system gradually becomes impaired. One aspect of this impairment is chronic inflammation in the elderly, which means that the immune system is constantly active and sends out ...
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