- New research uncovers a mechanism to stop inflammation in the body.
- The study suggests a new potential treatment for autoimmune conditions like lupus.
- Researchers hope to take this to clinical trials next.
Inflammation can help and hurt your body. While it jumps into action when you have an infection or injury, inflammation that doesn’t switch off may lead to a host of serious health conditions, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Now, scientists think they’ve discovered a natural “brake” that could halt inflammation in the body.
The findings are published in Nature Communications. For the study, researchers recruited 48 healthy volunteers and gave them a small injection of UV-killed E.coli bacteria into their forearms. That triggered a short inflammatory reaction that caused pain, redness, heat, and swelling. (This was designed to mimic what happens after an infection or injury.)
From there, the volunteers were split into two groups, both of which received a drug called GSK2256294, which blocks an enzyme known as soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH). This enzyme naturally breaks down epoxy-oxylipins, which are tiny fat-derived molecules that act as natural brakes on the immune system.
Meet the experts: Derek W. Gilroy, Ph.D., study co-author and professor in the Department of Ageing, Rheumatology and Regenerative Medicine at University College London; Michael Aziz, M.D., an internist at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City; Cheng-Han Chen, M.D.,an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA
Half of the people in the first group received the drug two hours before the inflammation began, while others were given a placebo. The second group was also split between people who received the drug and a placebo, but the medication recipients were given the drug four hours after the inflammation started, to mimic real-world treatments once symptoms show up.
In both groups, people who took GSK2256294 saw their pain disappear faster than those who took a placebo. Scientists also found a drop in monocytes in their blood and tissue. (These are immune cells linked to chronic inflammation and disease.) But the medication didn’t significantly impact external symptoms like redness and swelling.
When researchers dug a little further, they discovered that one epoxy-oxylipin in particular (called 12,13-EpOME) shuts down a protein that drives the transformation of monocytes, halting inflammation in the process.
The study is a lot to wade through (especially if you don’t have a degree in science), but it suggests that doctors may be one step closer to finding a new way to stop chronic inflammation in the body. Here’s why that matters.
First, what is inflammation?
Inflammation is a natural reaction in the body that responds to some kind of harm, explains Cheng-Han Chen, M.D., an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA. “It is an important part of the body’s healing process and typically acts behind the scenes,” he says. But the danger is when inflammation becomes chronic. Then, it may cause harmful effects to different parts of the body and fuel autoimmune disorders, Dr. Chen says.
Inflammation also fuels age-related health issues, according to Michael Aziz, M.D., an internist at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC. As cells age, they secrete inflammatory proteins called cytokines, he explains. “Those old cells sit around and obstruct the young cells from working,” he says.
That may cause damage to the tissues and organs, leading to a host of serious health conditions like dementia, arthritis, and heart disease, Dr. Aziz explains.
How might putting a “brake” on inflammation help?
Again, some inflammation in the body is important to help recover from an injury or illness. But “it’s very important to get rid of chronic inflammation—it’s one of the hallmarks of aging and all of the other age-related diseases that we suffer from as we get older,” Dr. Aziz says.
Around 60% of deaths around the world also happen due to chronic inflammation, says Derek W. Gilroy, Ph.D., study co-author and professor in the Department of Ageing, Rheumatology and Regenerative Medicine at University College London. “Inflammation underpins pretty much every disease—cancer, Crohn’s disease, dementia…all have a dysregulated immune response,” he says.
Ways to lower the risk of chronic inflammation
Chronic inflammation can happen as a result of a serious underlying health condition like an autoimmune disorder, and those are more challenging to prevent. But Dr. Aziz points out that you can also experience chronic inflammation from lifestyle factors.
Dr. Chen says there are a few things you can do to lower the risk of chronic inflammation:
- Minimize inflammatory foods in your diet, like fried foods, processed meat, and refined processed carbohydrates, while focusing on whole foods.
- Get regular physical activity.
- Avoid tobacco and alcohol.
- Try to maintain a healthy weight.
- Try to manage your stress levels.
- Get at least seven hours of sleep a night.
What happens from here?
Dr. Gilroy and his team are hoping to do clinical trials on the medication from here. “We have a drug that’s ready to go in clinical trials,” he says. “We’re very interested in [treating] lupus and other autoimmune diseases.”
But Dr. Aziz says that a drug that halts inflammation in the body could do more than treat a specific disease—it could eventually impact the symptoms of aging. “We are just scratching the surface,” he says.
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