Lupus is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that can affect multiple organs and tissues, and the causes of its development are still unknown. However, a new study, published in the scientific journal Nature this Wednesday (10), indicates a possible origin of the disease: a molecular defect in the blood of patients.
At the studyresearchers at Northwestern Medicine and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, both institutions located in the United States, identified that there are changes associated with lupus in multiple blood molecules of patients with the disease. They found that these changes lead to insufficient activation of a pathway controlled by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), which regulates the response of cells to environmental, bacterial or metabolic pollutants.
This defect results in the formation of disease-promoting immune cells called “peripheral helper T cells.” These promote the production of autoantibodies (a type of antibody that binds to healthy cells rather than viruses and bacteria), which can lead to the development of autoimmune diseases — such as lupus.
To understand how to reverse this “defect,” researchers inserted AHR-activating molecules into blood samples from lupus patients. This experiment “transformed” peripheral helper T cells, which cause lupus, into a cell called “Th22,” which promotes the healing of wounds caused by the disease. If this effect is long-lasting, it could be become a potential cure for lupus .
“To this point, all lupus therapy has been a blunt instrument. It’s broad immunosuppression,” Jaehyuk Choi, MD, associate professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a dermatologist at Northwestern Medicine, and co-corresponding author of the study, said in a press release. “By identifying a cause for this disease, we have found a potential cure that will not have the side effects of current therapies.”
Now, the researchers want to expand their studies to develop new treatments for lupus patients. In addition, they are working to find ways to make these molecules available in a safe and effective way for people with the disease.
Source: CNN Brasil
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