Potential treatment for autoimmune diseases
Japanese scientists have discovered an “effective” chemical compound
Tuesday – 14 Shaaban 1444 AH – 07 March 2023 AD
Phosphoenolpyruvate is a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases
Cairo: Hazem Badr
Scientists in Japan have discovered a chemical compound that can be used to treat various autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. This achievement was announced in the latest issue of Cell Reports.
These diseases occur when the body’s immune response goes awry, and instead of attacking pathogens and infections, the immune system targets healthy cells and tissues. For millions of people worldwide who suffer from autoimmune diseases, the outcome can be debilitating, as rheumatoid arthritis causes In severe pain in the joints, while «multiple sclerosis» can disrupt the functions of the brain and spinal cord.
“The key to the development of autoimmune diseases, and therefore the way to prevent this development lies in our cells,” says Hiroki Ishikawa, who leads the immune signaling unit at the Okinawa Institute in Japan, the principal investigator of the study. But the mechanism behind this has always been unclear, and now our latest research has shed light on a compound that can inhibit the development of these diseases.
The research focused on “helper T cells 17” or (Th17) cells, which are a type of T cells that are major parts of the immune system. These cells, which are found in large numbers in our guts, have evolved to help us fight invading pathogens, but they are sometimes They are overactive and mistake normal, healthy tissues for pathogens, leading to autoimmune diseases.
The generation of these cells requires glycolysis, a metabolic process in which glucose is broken down and converted into energy to support the metabolic needs of cells. Glycolysis is essential not only for the growth of these cells, but also for a variety of cells in our bodies.
“We hypothesized that compounds produced during glycolysis, such as phosphoenolpyruvate, might inhibit cells,” says Tsung-Yin Huang, from the Immune Signaling Unit at the Okinawa Institute in Japan, a co-author of the study.
Phosphoenolpyruvate is a metabolite produced when glucose is converted into energy, and because it is part of this important process, this compound is found in abundance in our bodies. The researchers found that treatment with it can inhibit the maturation of T helper 17 cells, which leads to a resolution of the inflammatory response.
Using this finding, the researchers treated mice with an autoimmune neuroinflammation very similar to multiple sclerosis with phosphoenolpyruvate. These mice showed positive signs of recovery, and the scientists have now filed a patent to continue this research.
Muhammad Azab, a consultant neurologist at the Egyptian Ministry of Health, praises the findings of the Japanese research team, as it is an important breakthrough that “represents a step on long ways to deal with a category of rare diseases.” He told Asharq Al-Awsat that “some of the positive results that occur in experimental mice may not reflect the same degree of positivity when moving to clinical trials, so we are awaiting the results of other experiments conducted on large animals, before moving to clinical trials.”
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