Author: Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140512154856.htm
Summary:
A new study at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Max Planck Institute, Free University of Berlin, UC San Diego, and Shinshu University has recently found a new molecule that prevents Asthma that is caused by Allergies. This new synthetic molecule (sulfate monosaccharide) inhibits the signals sent by T-cells that are sent to the lungs to trigger an asthma attack. It is also able to lessen the symptoms that are followed by asthma such as inflammation, mucus production, and airway constiction. A study showed that the sulfate monosaccharide blocks the interaction between CCL20 and heparin sulfate which stalls the recruiting of the T-cells that trigger inflammation. This new molecule can be used by injection intravenously or by inhalation. Although billions of dollars are spent trying to find a cure for asthma, it is still on the rise for being the most common chronic disease in children. There is no cure for asthma, but many treatments are used to reduce the risk for asthma being deadly, like this new molecule. The pulmonary inhalation of this molecule is used to surpress chemokine (CCL20) initiated inflammatory responses which helps to reduce the symptoms.
Connection:
This connects to the Respiratory System, specifically Asthma. This disease helps to increase the easy flow of oxygen into the cells and Carbon dioxide out of the body. In this chapter, the respiratory has many homeostatic imbalances such as the lack of oxygen to the cells and one of the main reasons for that is inflammation in the bronchi and this helps to decrease that inflammation therefore creating a balance. This also connects to the molecules and cells chapters because it explains the use of monosaccharides which is a term we learned as one protein molecule where as polysaccharide is a chain of proteins.
When the sulfate monosaccharide molecules block the interaction between CCL20 and heparin sulfate and stall the recruitment of T-cells which trigger inflammation, are the asthma symptoms just postponed and happen a little later with less severity or is this molecule not necessarily postponing the symptoms, but just lessening the symptoms and their severity right away?
ReplyDeleteGreat question. After researching, this new molecule decreases the severity right away of the syptoms because this would be taken during a flare-up in which the person would need immediate relief of the inflammation.
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