Research shows antibody offers new target for anti-inflammatories

The researchers from the Burnham Institute for Medical Research found that a naturally “tweaked” sugar chain, normally present on white blood cells and intestinal cells, plays a role in inflammation. In addition, the team found that an antibody produced in reaction to the sugar’s presence curbed intestinal inflammation induced in mice.

The team identified a modified version of very common sugars known as N-linked glycans, which are found on the surface of white blood cells, as well as normal colon cells. These sugars are also found in colon tissue of patients suffering from Crohn’s disease.

The antibody was tested in a mouse model for Crohn’s disease and was able to reverse early symptoms of inflammation stopping further disease progress. The antibody also reduced the accumulation of white blood cells armed to fight disease and inhibited the expression of cellular messengers (cytokines) typically seen in inflammation.

“There are a large number of signaling molecules that are activated in inflammation,” said Professor Hudson Freeze, director of Burnham’s glycobiology and carbohydrate chemistry program. “Antibodies against these sugar chain molecules, however, appear to curb inflammation before cytokines associated with inflammation, like NF-kB and TNF, are activated. The sugar chain must be used at an earlier stage, but in a more specific manner.”

The sugar chain’s specificity could be crucial to developing treatments for Crohn’s and other inflammatory disorders. The body’s inflammation response usually is a healthy reaction to harmful foreign agents; inflammation disposes of pathogens before they cause disease. Auto-immune disorders are a result of the body’s immune system overreacting to non-existent pathogens, causing the body to attack its own tissues. The optimal treatment would inhibit excessive inflammation linked with disease, leaving normal immune function unaffected.