'First Aid' for Brain Cells Comes From BloodApril 17, 2009Immune cells protect the brain from further damage after a stroke / Article by Heidelberg researchers in Nature Medicine In acute ischemic stroke, the blood supply to the brain is restricted. Initially, brain cells die from lack of oxygen. In addition, ischemia activates harmful inflammatory processes in the affected area of the brain. For the first time, scientists at the Neurology Clinic at Heidelberg University Hospital have shown that certain immune cells in the blood inhibit inflammation after a stroke. These cells are known as regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg). The regulator cytokine Interleukin 10 plays an important role in this protection, perhaps offering a new approach to stroke therapy. The study has now been published in Nature Medicine. Every year, some 200,000 people suffer a stroke in Germany. It is still frequently fatal or causes severe disability. The Neurology Clinic in Heidelberg under the direction of its medical director Professor Dr. Werner Hacke is one of the most prestigious centers in the world for developing and testing innovative approaches to stroke treatment. Immune cells produce the protective Interleukin 10 The team of researchers headed by Dr. Roland Veltkamp, senior physician at the Neurology Clinic of Heidelberg University Hospital has now shown in stroke models that a stroke in mice with no functioning Treg cells in their blood causes much greater damage to the brain and greater disabilities than in animals with functioning Treg cells. An analysis of the immune system showed that mice without this cellular "First Aid" produce much more inflammatory transmitters in the brain and blood. In addition, immune cells, whose task is to recognize and digest foreign bodies or dead cell material -- e.g. microglial cells or neutrophils -- are activated more strongly in the absence of Treg. Treg cells protect cells by suppressing the harmful activation of the immune system and can thus also prevent autoimmune diseases from developing. It is still unclear how exactly the Treg cells communicate in the damaged brain tissue. Interleukin 10 (IL 10), a transmitter substance that is produced by the Treg cells, seems to play an important role during a stroke. Mice with no functioning Treg cells that were injected with IL 10 on the first day following a stroke had markedly less brain damage than mice that did not receive IL 10. On the other hand, the transfer of genetically modified Treg cells unable to produce IL-10 offered no protection. The researchers in Heidelberg are now working on different approaches for translating the protective mechanisms of Treg into future treatment for strokes. "We still need to know a lot more about how the immune cells communicate among themselves and with the brain cells after a stroke in order to develop a treatment plan for patients," says Dr. Roland Veltkamp. Heidelberg University |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Immune Cells Current Events and Immune Cells News Articles New findings suggest strategy to help generate HIV-neutralizing antibodies New discoveries about anti-HIV antibodies may bring researchers a step closer to creating an effective HIV vaccine, according to a new paper co-authored by scientists at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Sweet -- sugared polymer a new weapon against allergies and asthma Scientists at Johns Hopkins and their colleagues have developed sugar-coated polymer strands that selectively kill off cells involved in triggering aggressive allergy and asthma attacks. Scientists visualize how bacteria talk to one another Using imaging mass spectrometry, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed tools that will enable scientists to visualize how different cell populations of cells communicate. Key player identified in cascade that leads to hypertension-related kidney damage A key player in a cascade that likely begins with stress and leads to high blood pressure and kidney damage has been identified by researchers who say the finding may lead to better ways to control both. Genetic links to fungal infection risk identified Two genetic mutations that may put individuals at increased risk of fungal infections have been identified by scientists from UCL and Radboud University, increasing understanding about the genetic basis of these infections and potentially aiding the development of new treatments. Study shows how carbon nanotubes can affect lining of the lungs Carbon nanotubes are being considered for use in everything from sports equipment to medical applications, but a great deal remains unknown about whether these materials cause respiratory or other health problems. Manipulating Brain Inflammation May Help Clear Brain of Amyloid Plaques, Mayo Clinic Researchers Say In a surprising reversal of long-standing scientific belief, researchers at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida have discovered that inflammation in the brain is not the trigger that leads to buildup of amyloid deposits and development of Alzheimer's disease. Stanford study identifies cellular mechanism that causes lupuslike symptoms in mice Macrophages, the scavenger cells of the body's immune system, are responsible for disposing of dying cells. Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have identified one pathway in this important process in mice that, if disrupted, causes a lupuslike autoimmune disease. New chromosomal abnormality identified in leukemia associated with Down syndrome Researchers identified a new chromosomal abnormality in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that appears to work in concert with another mutation to give rise to cancer. This latest anomaly is particularly common in children with Down syndrome. Research shows treating HIV-AIDS with interleukin-2 is ineffective An international research team has demonstrated that treating HIV-AIDS with interleukin-2 (IL-2) is ineffective. As a result, the researchers recommend that clinical trials on this compound be stopped. More Immune Cells Current Events and Immune Cells News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||