Glucosamine-like supplement inhibits multiple sclerosis, type 1
diabetes
Metabolic therapy shows promise for treating autoimmune diseases, UC
Irvine study finds
Irvine, Calif., May 14, 2007
A glucosamine-like dietary supplement has been found to suppress the
damaging autoimmune response seen in multiple sclerosis and type 1
diabetes mellitus, according to University of California, Irvine
health sciences researchers.
In studies on mice, Dr. Michael Demetriou and colleagues with the UC
Irvine Center for Immunology found that N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc),
which is similar but more effective than the widely available
glucosamine, inhibited the growth and function of abnormal T-cells
that incorrectly direct the immune system to attack specific tissues
in the body, such as brain myelin in MS and insulin-producing cells of
the pancreas in diabetes. Study results appear on the online version
of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
"This finding shows the potential of using a dietary supplement to
help treat autoimmune diseases," said Demetriou, an assistant
professor of neurology, and microbiology and molecular genetics. "Most
importantly, we understand how this sugar-based supplement inhibits
the cells that attack the body, making metabolic therapy a rational
approach to prevent or treat these debilitating diseases."
The UC Irvine study defines how metabolic therapy with the sugar
GlcNAc and other related nutrients modifies the growth and autoimmune
activitiy of T-cells. Virtually all proteins on the surface of cells,
including T-cells, are modified with complex sugars of variable
lengths and composition. Recent studies have shown that changes in
these sugars are often associated with T-cell hyperactivity and
autoimmune disease.
In mouse models of both MS and type 1 diabetes, Demetriou and
colleages found that GlcNAc prevented this hyperactivity and
autoimmune response by increasing sugar modifications to the T-cell
proteins. This therapy normalized T-cell function and prevented
development of paralysis in MS and high blood glucose levels in type 1
diabetes.
This study comes on the heels of others showing the potential of
GlcNAc in humans. One previous clinical study reported that 8 of 12
children with treatment-resistant autoimmune inflammatory bowel
disease improved significantly following two years of treatment with
GlcNAc. No significant adverse side effects were noted.
"Together, these findings identify metabolic therapy using dietary
supplements such as GlcNAc as potential treatments for autoimmune
diseases." Demetriou said. "Excitement for this treatment strategy
stems from the novel mechanism for affecting T-cell function and
autoimmunity and the availability and simplicity of its use. However,
additional studies in humans will be required to assess the full
potential of this therapeutic approach."
Autoimmune diseases such as MS and type 1 diabetes mellitus result
from poorly understood interactions between inherited genetic risk and
environmental exposure. MS results in neurological dysfunction, while
uncontrolled blood glucose in type 1 diabetes can lead to damage of
multiple organs.
Ani Grigorian, Sung-Uk Lee, Wenqiang Tian, I-Ju Chen and Guoyan Gao of
UC Irvine and Richard Mendelsohn and James W. Dennis of the Samuel
Lunenfeld Research Institute in Toronto participated in the study,
which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation,
the Wadsworth Foundation and the Canadian Institutes for Health
Research.
About the University of California, Irvine: The University of
California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research,
scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the
fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than
25,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,800 faculty
members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI
contributes an annual economic impact of $3.7 billion. For more UCI
news, visit www.today.uci.edu.
Television: UCI has a broadcast studio available for live or taped
interviews. For more information, visit www.today.uci.edu/broadcast.
News Radio: UCI maintains on campus an ISDN line for conducting
interviews with its faculty and experts. The use of this line is
available free-of-charge to radio news programs/stations who wish to
interview UCI faculty and experts. Use of the ISDN line is subject to
availability and approval by the university.
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Source: Thomas Jefferson University Released: Mon 28-Nov-2005,
15:40 ET
Printer-friendly Version
Over-the-Counter Arthritis Drug Might Help Against MS
Libraries
Medical News Keywords
MS, ARTHRITIS
Contact Information
Available for logged-in reporters only
Description
Glucosamine, the over-the counter natural product that has been
touted
to help with joint and cartilage problems associated with arthritis,
may also provide some relief to individuals with multiple sclerosis
(MS).
Newswise - Glucosamine, the over-the counter natural product that has
been touted to help with joint and cartilage problems associated with
arthritis, may also provide some relief to individuals with multiple
sclerosis (MS), a degenerative, nervous system disease with no known
cure.
Using a mouse model of MS, neurologists at Jefferson Medical College
found that doses of glucosamine similar to those taken for
osteoarthritis dramatically delayed the onset of symptoms and
improved
the animals' ability to move and walk.
The scientists, led by A. M. Rostami, M.D., Ph.D., professor and
chair
of the Department of Neurology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas
Jefferson University and the Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in
Philadelphia, and Guang-Xian Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor
of
neurology at Jefferson Medical College, say the treatment's
anti-inflammatory effects may be useful in conjunction with more
mainstream therapies such as beta-interferon in helping patients with
MS to delay or perhaps stave off some of the debilitating effects of
the disease. They report their findings in the December 1, 2005 of
The
Journal of Immunology.
"It would be fantastic if glucosamine works in humans because we have
a product that has a long track record for safety, and most
importantly, can be given orally," says Dr. Rostami, who is also
director of the Neuroimmunology Laboratory in the Department of
Neurology at Jefferson Medical College. He notes that current
treatments for MS are given by injection. He hopes to test
glucosamine
in clinical trials in the near future.
MS, one of the most common neurological diseases affecting young
adults, is thought to be an autoimmune disease (in which the body
attacks its own tissue) affecting the central nervous system (CNS).
In
MS, the myelin coating of nerve fibers becomes inflamed and scarred.
As
a result, "messages" cannot be sent through the nervous system.
Dr. Rostami and his group used an animal model of MS called
experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), which mimics the
human
disease, to investigate glucosamine's potential immune
system-suppressing properties. Such animals gradually develop the
disease.
In the studies, some of the mice received glucosamine, while others
did
not.
They gave glucosamine to the mice three ways: orally,
intraperitoneally
and intravenously. They also tested the drug in one set of animals
before the onset of symptoms, and in another group at the time the
animals began to show symptoms.
In each case, the researchers showed they could significantly prolong
the onset of disease. That is, those animals that got glucosamine
took
longer to get ill and once they became ill, the disease was much less
severe. It was just as effective when given early in the disease or
when the animals became sick.
They examined the animals' spinal cords and found less inflammation
and "demyelination" in those that were given glucosamine.
"As a therapy, it might be used in combination with other proven
treatments, such as beta-interferon and copaxone," says Dr. Rostami.
The research team has some ideas of how glucosamine exerts its
effects.
According to Dr. Rostami, EAE and MS are caused by abnormal responses
from the immune system's T cells. There are two types: TH1, which
promotes inflammation, and TH2, which is anti-inflammatory. "We've
shown the glucosamine modulates the immune response by producing more
TH2 responses, suppressing brain inflammation," he says. "At the
same time, it suppresses TH1 response."
The researchers currently are testing the effectiveness of
combinations
of glucosamine and standard drugs for MS in the same mouse model to
look for adverse effects. They are also trying to find out if
glucosamine can suppress the relapses in the relapsing/remitting form
of the disease.
Relapsing/remitting is the most common form of MS. Patients
experience
clearly defined "flare-ups," acute episodes in which neurological
functions worsen, followed by partial or complete recovery periods.
Over 400,000 Americans acknowledge having MS; however, many
neurologists believe that nearly one million Americans are living
with
MS in the United States today. Symptoms can include fatigue, loss of
coordination, muscle weakness, numbness, inability to walk or use
hands
and arms, pain, vision problems, slurred speech, decline in the
ability
to think and reason, and bladder/bowel dysfunction.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2005 Newswise. All Rights Reserved.
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<<snip>>
The results indicated that these complexes could be used in
eliminating
the excess iron(III) in living organisms.
<<snip>>
J Inorg Biochem. 2002 Apr 28;89(3-4):212-8. Related Articles, Links
Aqueous and solid complexes of iron(III) with hyaluronic acid.
Potentiometric
titrations and infrared spectroscopy studies.
Merce AL, Marques Carrera LC, Santos Romanholi LK, Lobo Recio MA.
Departamento de Quimica, Universidade Federal do Parana, CP 19081,
Centro
Politecnico, Curitiba, 81531-990, Brazil. [email hidden]
The coordination of iron(III) ion to hyaluronic acid (Hyal) in
aqueous
solutions and solid state was accomplished by potentiometric
titrations
and
infrared spectroscopy. The potentiometric titration studies provided
the
binding constants for the complexes found in the systems and the
speciation of
these species according to the variation of pH values. The complexes
found
presented a complexing ability through both the chelating moieties of
Hyal (via
the N-glucosamine and D-glucoronic acid), showing no special
preference
for
either one while in solid state, but when in aqueous solution the
complexation
via the N-glucosamine moiety was the preferred, forming two complexed
species,
ML and ML(2) (log K(ML)=8.2 and log K(ML2)=7.9). The presence of a
mu-oxo
complex via the D-glucoronic acid was also detected in both aqueous
(log K=6.7)
and solid states via the N-glucosamine and D-glucoronic acid
simultaneously
linked to two Hyal chains. A structure for this latter complex was
suggested.
The results indicated that these complexes could be used in
eliminating
the
excess iron(III) in living organisms.
PMID: 12062125 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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