Scientists identify inflammation links
DEAR DOCTOR: I read that scientists are close to being able to “turn off ” inflammation. Isn’t that dangerous, since inflammation is a natural part of the immune system?
DEAR READER: First to the scene of injury, illness and infection, our white blood cells detect bacteria, viruses and other harmful organisms. They not only emit chemicals that destroy harmful invaders, they also cart away debris and rally the rest of the immune system to mount a robust response.
That’s all great when things are working properly. But sometimes the body’s inflammation response goes haywire. The same white blood cells that race to the rescue can be triggered by a case of mistaken identity and attack the body’s own tissues. That’s what’s happening in autoimmune diseases like lupus, Crohn’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis.
Certain conditions, like obesity, can rev up the inflammation process as well. That’s because fat cells produce a class of small proteins known as cytokines, which are the same biochemicals that our white blood cells produce when they’re on the attack. Those cytokines act as a 911 call to a host of other immune system cells and thus encourage a state of ongoing inflammation. In addition to
the autoimmune disorders already mentioned, chronic inflammation has been linked to heart disease and certain cancers. And studies suggest that inflammation may have a hand in some diseases of the central nervous system as well.
Among the cells that get involved in that initial immune response are white blood cells known as macrophages, which circulate throughout the tissues of the body. Now, a team of scientists from the United States, Ireland and the United Kingdom has identified a metabolic process that’s able to get macrophages to stand down. The ability to control how macrophages produce and disperse cytokines would mean that certain types of inflammation could be controlled, or even stopped.
It’s important to understand that at this point, the research has focused on mouse and human cells. It’s a huge leap between the petri dish and the release of a targeted medication to control inflammation.
Eve Glazier, M.D., MBA, is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at UCLA Health.
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