*Scientists have uncovered new clues about how the human body brings inflammation under control, raising the possibility of future treatments that could calm harmful immune activity without broadly suppressing the immune system.
Researchers at University College London focused on epoxy-oxylipins, naturally occurring fat-derived molecules involved in regulating inflammation. Their study, published in “Nature Communications,” examined what happened when researchers increased levels of these molecules during a controlled inflammatory response in healthy volunteers.
According to Science Daily, the results suggest that the molecules help regulate immune cells associated with prolonged inflammation and may play a role in determining when the body’s defensive response begins winding down.
Researchers Tested The Pathway In People
For the human experiments, researchers triggered temporary inflammation in volunteers’ forearms using UV-killed E. coli. The bacteria could not cause an infection but produced an inflammatory reaction that researchers could monitor.
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Participants received GSK2256294, an experimental drug that inhibits an enzyme called soluble epoxide hydrolase, or sEH. Because that enzyme normally breaks down epoxy-oxylipins, blocking it allowed levels of the protective molecules to increase.
Researchers administered the drug either before inflammation was induced or four hours afterward.
In both approaches, the treatment reduced intermediate monocytes, a type of white blood cell that increases during inflammation and has been associated with chronic inflammatory diseases when its activity persists.
The intervention also helped pain resolve sooner, according to the study. However, it did not significantly reduce heat, redness or swelling, an important limitation when interpreting the findings.
Could This Lead To New Treatments?
One molecule, known as 12,13-EpOME, appeared particularly important. Researchers found evidence that it interfered with the p38 MAPK signaling pathway, which helps drive the development of intermediate monocytes.
“This is the first study to map epoxy-oxylipin activity in humans during inflammation,” Professor Derek Gilroy, the study’s corresponding author, said in the research summary published by ScienceDaily.
The findings could eventually lead scientists to investigate sEH inhibitors for conditions driven by chronic inflammation. Researchers specifically identified rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease as potential areas for future clinical trials.
But this is not evidence of a new treatment for chronic inflammation.
The experiments involved controlled, short-term inflammation in healthy volunteers rather than patients with chronic inflammatory diseases. More research will be necessary to determine whether manipulating the pathway can safely and effectively treat those conditions.
The peer-reviewed study in Nature Communications also discloses that Gilroy and first author Olivia Bracken have filed a U.S. patent application involving the use of GSK2256294 for chronic inflammatory disease.
Still, the discovery offers scientists another way to think about treating inflammation: Instead of simply blocking the immune response, future therapies might be able to strengthen mechanisms the body already uses to restore balance after the danger has passed.
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