Science News & Science Current Events
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Parasite lipids against asthma or diabetes

Parasite lipids against asthma or diabetes

November 11, 2003

Dutch research has demonstrated that lipids from the parasite schistosoma can inhibit human immune responses. This property makes the lipids interesting for a possible new treatment of diseases such as asthma and diabetes where the immune system responds inappropriately.

During her doctoral research, Desiree van der Kleij discovered that lipids from the parasite schistosoma steer the development of the immune system in a certain direction. Cells from the innate immune system, so-called dendritic cells, respond to these lipids. During this response these cells can initiate the development of so-called regulatory T-cells. These regulatory T-cells subsequently suppress the activity of other cells in the immune system.

The researcher discovered that one of the lipids with this steering effect on dendritic cells contains a fatty acid that does not occur in humans. She also demonstrated that this specific lipid of the parasite activates a specific receptor on dendritic cells. Once the receptor had been blocked, it was found that regulatory T-cells no longer developed after dendritic cells had been stimulated with the parasite lipid.

Diseases such as diabetes and asthma are caused by inappropriate immune responses to certain substances. Molecules which can inhibit the immune responses, such as the lipids of schistosomes, could be used to suppress these errant responses. The use of lipids from schistosomes for this purpose will be investigated in a follow-up study funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research.

In the immune system, dendritic cells detect the presence of pathogens in the body. These cells then direct the development of immune responses so that a type of immune response develops which is appropriate to combat the pathogen present. The pathogen could be a bacteria, but equally a virus or a parasite.

Schistosomes are parasitic worms. More than 200 million people worldwide are infected with the worm. The majority of these people live in Africa and South America. The worms can survive in their host for years. Although infected persons develop an immune response during an infection, the parasite significantly suppresses the activity of the immune system in people who are chronically infected with these worms. This suppression is probably caused by regulatory T-cells.

NWO (Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research)




Related Immune System Current Events and Immune System News Articles Immune System Current Events and Immune System News RSS Immune System Current Events and Immune System News RSS
Sensitive nanowire disease detectors made by Yale scientists
Yale scientists have created nanowire sensors coupled with simple microprocessor electronics that are both sensitive and specific enough to be used for point-of-care (POC) disease detection, according to a report in Nano Letters.

NIH scientists discover crucial control in long-lasting immunity
National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists have identified a protein that plays matchmaker between two key types of white blood cells, T and B cells, enabling them to interact in a way that is crucial to establishing long-lasting immunity after an infection.

Caltech biologists spy on the secret inner life of a cell
The transportation of antibodies from a mother to her newborn child is vital for the development of that child's nascent immune system.

Keeping herpes infection in check: Pitt researchers describe immune system strategies
Herpes simplex virus type I can cause bouts of cold sores, blindness and potentially lethal encephalitis when it reawakens from a quiescent state in the nerve cells it infects.

Hodgkin lymphoma -- new characteristics discovered
Researchers are still discovering new characteristics of Hodgkin lymphoma, a common form of cancer of the lymphatic system. The malignant cells are derived from white blood cells (B cells), but have lost a considerable part of the B cell-specific gene expression pattern.

'Fingerprinting' method tracks mercury emissions from coal
University of Michigan researchers have developed a new tool that uses natural "fingerprints" in coal to track down sources of mercury polluting the environment.

Oral vitamin D may help prevent some skin infections
A study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests that use of oral Vitamin D supplements bolsters production of a protective chemical normally found in the skin, and may help prevent skin infections that are a common result of atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema.

JDRF funded study links 'hygiene hypothesis' to diabetes prevention
A research study funded by JDRF suggests that a common intestinal bacteria may provide some protection from developing type 1 diabetes. The findings provide an important step towards understanding how and why type 1 diabetes develops in people, and may lead to potential cures.

Children's National researchers develop novel anti-tumor vaccine
A novel anti-tumor vaccine for neuroblastoma and melanoma developed by scientists and clinicians at Children's National Medical Center in collaboration with investigators from the University of Iowa is showing significant impact on tumor growth in mice.

DNA of good bacteria drives intestinal response to infection
A new study shows that the DNA of so-called "good bacteria" that normally live in the intestines may help defend the body against infection.
More Immune System Current Events and Immune System News Articles


The Immune System
by Peter Parham

The Immune System, Second Edition has been designed for use in immunology courses for undergraduate, medical, dental, and pharmacy students. This class-tested and successful textbook synthesizes the established facts of immunology into a comprehensible, coherent, and up-to-date account of how the immune system works, rather than presenting immunology as a chronology of experiments and...



How the Immune System Works (Blackwell's How It Works)
by Lauren M. Sompayrac

Understanding the immune system is crucial for both medical and bioscience students, with new research revealing yet more secrets year on year. Many books offer in-depth introductions to the subject, but How the Immune System Works remains uniquely popular for its personable and practical overview of the nuts and bolts of the immune system. This third edition provides a perfect...



The Immune System Cure: Optimize Your Immune System in 30 Days-The Natural Way!



Boost Your Child's Immune System: A Program and Recipes for Raising Strong, Healthy Kids
by Lucy Burney

Ideal for all parents, whatever their children's age—how to help kids be fit and strong for life, from a top nutrition specialist. Making the most of superfoods and nutrients, this powerful guide gives parents the building blocks and a clear plan to raise kids who are fit and strong for life and capable of fighting off bugs and infections. Top nutrition specialist Lucy Burney walks parents...



In Defense of Self: How the Immune System Really Works
by William R. Clark

We live in a sea of seething microbial predators, an infinity of invisible and invasive microorganisms capable of setting up shop inside us and sending us to an early grave. The only thing keeping them out? The immune system. William Clark's In Defense of Self offers a refreshingly accessible tour of the immune system, putting in layman's terms essential information that has been for too long...



Boost Your Child's Immune System
by Lucy Burney



Our Immune System (Our Bodies)
by Susan Thames



The Immune System: Your Body's Disease-Fighting Army (Discovery)
by Mark P., Jr. Friedlander, Terry M. Phillips

Describes the immune system, its major components, and such related topics as bacteria, viruses, parasites, vaccines, and current research in...



Supercharge Your Immune System: 100 Ways to Help Your Body Fight Illness - One Glass at a Time
by Ellen Brown, Karen Konopelski

It's now an accepted medical fact that the nutrients in certain fruits and vegetables make them "super foods" because they are the highest in the vitamins and other nutrients that naturally build our immune systems. Smoothies --frosty, thick, luscious drinks--are a way that all members of the family can gleefully boost their nutrition and maintain strong immune systems, and Supercharge Your...



Immunity-Based Systems
by Yoshiteru Ishida

This book presents a framework for communication intensive autonomous agents inspired from the immune system. With the rapid increase of computational power and networking technology similarity between computer and biological systems may now practically work. The framework presented fills the need to guide the implementation of such a "biological" system. It is described in detail focusing on the...

© 2008 BrightSurf.com