As with many autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammation is associated with the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). Multiple sclerosis attacks the sheath around nerves, which can cause weakness, spasms, difficulty walking or moving, stiffness, and pain.
While current methods of dealing with disease focus on managing symptoms, researchers at the University of Virginia (UVA) are interested in investigating whether the mechanisms that drive inflammation can be stopped at its source. There they investigated the microbes in the gut of mice and discovered chemoregulators that trigger an inflammatory cascade. They also figured out how to turn it off.
Scientists are increasingly revealing that the gut microbiome can affect more than just digestive health. It has seen research link it to depression, motivation to exercise, weight gain, rheumatoid arthritis, and excessive alcohol consumption. So when UVA researchers wanted to find a way to disrupt the inflammatory response that leads to MS, it made sense that they turned to the microbiome.
Using mice, they found that chemical regulators found in the intestinal wall can direct gut bacteria to produce inflammatory compounds. It is produced by T cells, a type of white blood cell that fights invaders such as allergens, disease, and cancer.Interestingly, the researchers investigated the effect of regulating T cells called Tregs on MS in 2021 and found that by inhibiting a protein called Piezo1, cells could Descent Inflammation in mouse models.
This time, however, the study focused on AHR, which causes inflammation. When researchers blocked it in the gut of mice, they found that the microbiome produced compounds such as bile salts and short-chain fatty acids that made it difficult for T cells to proliferate. , and the mice actually recovered from the disease.
Scientists point out that more research is needed to see if the findings translate to human subjects. It paves the way for future investigations.
“We are exploring new directions for multiple sclerosis therapeutics,” said Andrea Merchak, a Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience at UVA and lead author of the study. “By modulating the microbiome … we are stepping into understanding how immune responses get out of control in autoimmunity. We can use this information to find early intervention. ”
Merchack also found that direct targeting of the AHR with drugs is more effective than using interventions such as probiotics and drugs that inhibit the immune system of MS patients to enhance their activity in the gut to fight inflammation. He said it could be an effective method.
“Clinically using probiotics is difficult because of the complexity of the gut microbiome,” she said. We may have found a more reliable route to boosting the internal microbiome, which could ultimately help patients cope with the severe side effects of immunosuppressive drugs by using the microbiota to fine-tune the immune response. no longer needed.”
As research progresses, it is hoped that this discovery will lead to new treatments for other autoimmune diseases.
A study was published in a journal PLOS biology.
Source: UVAHealth
