Inflammatory bowel disease is an umbrella term used to describe disorders in which there is chronic inflammation in the digestive system.
These disorders include ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease; It is a chronic inflammatory disease, and the current treatment only cures 50 percent of patients.
And in recent days, a new study, published in Crohn’s and Colitis, opens doors of hope for millions of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, or inflammatory bowel disease.
double-edged sword
“Our focus in this study is to search for a treatment that is more effective than the current approach to treating IBD patients,” says David DeLo, professor of biomedical sciences at the University of California, Riverside.
“All people have in each of their cells two different receptors, TNFR1 and TNFR2, that bind to TNF-alpha, an inflammatory molecule called (tumor necrosis factor alpha), and current medications work to prevent this molecule from binding to receptors TNFR1 and TNFR2.”
He explains that “there is evidence that the TNFR1 receptor may be the cause of most of the effects of IBD, while the TNFR2 receptor may drive recovery from the disease, and in this sense, the scientists found that the current treatment approach to inhibiting both receptors is a double-edged sword, and reduces chances of successful treatment.
new approach
In the new treatment approach, the researchers believe that targeting the gene of the TNFR1 receptor that causes the effects of IBD is the key to a more effective and effective treatment.
Lu’s experiments were performed on mice with the same recipients; The pattern of inflammation in mice is similar to that seen in humans.
“When we reduced TNFR1 signaling, the mice showed a good degree of recovery compared to mice with the full level of TNFR1 signaling,” Lu explains.
In contrast, mice with a genetic deficiency of the TNFR2 receptor develop disease more severely, indicating that TNFR2 does indeed have beneficial effects and aids in recovery.
This trial promises to provide treatments in the near future that could increase the success rates of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
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