Current location:health >>
Molecular identified as key to suppress inflammation in brain
health991People have gathered around
IntroductionVideo PlayerCloseSAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- New research at the University of California, S ...
Video PlayerClose
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- New research at the University of California, San Francisco, or UCSF, has discovered a molecular key to the ketogenic diet's apparent effects on patients with epilepsy and other neurological illnesses.
The diet, namely extreme low-carbohydrate, high-fat regimen, may work by lowering inflammation in the brain.
"It's a key issue in the field - how to suppress inflammation in brain after injury," said Raymond Swanson, a professor of neurology at UCSF and senior author of the new study published online in the journal Nature Communications.
Swanson and his colleagues found the previously undiscovered mechanism by which a low carbohydrate diet reduces inflammation in the brain, and identified a pivotal protein that links the diet to inflammatory genes, which, if blocked, could mirror the anti-inflammatory effects of ketogenic diets, which are known to change the way the body uses energy.
In response to the shortage of carb-derived sugars such as glucose, the body begins breaking down fat into ketones and ketoacids, which it can use as alternative fuels.
In rodents, ketogenic diets are known to reduce inflammation, improve outcomes after brain injury and extend lifespan. However, these benefits are less well-established in humans because of the difficulty in maintaining a ketogenic state. In addition, it has been difficult to tease out the molecular nuts and bolts by which these diets influence the immune system.
In the new study, the researchers used a small molecule called 2-deoxyglucose, or 2DG, to block glucose metabolism and produce a ketogenic state in rats and controlled laboratory cell lines, leading to the discovery that 2DG could bring inflammation levels down to almost control levels. They further found that reduced glucose metabolism lowered a key barometer of energy metabolism, namely the NADH/NAD+ ratio, which in turn activated a protein called CtBP that acts to suppress activity of inflammatory genes.
In an experiment, the researchers designed a drug-like peptide molecule that blocks the ability of CtBP to enter its inactive state, forcing the protein to constantly block inflammatory gene activity and mimicking the effect of a ketogenic state.
Peptides, which are small proteins, don't work well as drugs because they are unstable, expensive, and people make antibodies against them. But other molecules that act the same way as the peptide could provide ketogenic benefits without requiring extreme dietary changes, Swanson was quoted as saying in a news release.
The findings may open the door for new therapies that could reduce brain inflammation following stroke and brain trauma by mimicking the beneficial effects of an extreme low-carb diet, and also provide a way of interfering with the relationship between the extra glucose in patients with diabetes and this inflammatory response.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Culture Crossroad news portal”。http://ireland.unhasdecoradas.org/content-77a299834.html
Related articles
Student fatally shot, suspect detained at Georgia's Kennesaw State University
healthATLANTA (AP) — Officials at Georgia’s Kennesaw State University say a student was killed in a weeken ...
【health】
Read moreWWF calls for global treaty to protect high seas
healthPhoto taken on May 28, 2020 shows fishes and sea anemone at a marine ranch in the sea area of Wuzhiz ...
【health】
Read moreWith secret contract, U.S. uses spyware to supervise world: NYT
healthThis photo taken on Feb. 3, 2023 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinh ...
【health】
Read more
Popular articles
- Jessica Biel CHOPS her long locks into a bob after book signing in Studio City
- Eurozone inflation slows to 8.5 pct in January: Eurostat
- Xi Sends Condolences to Iranian President over Serious Terror Attacks
- UN urges trillions in investments to salvage global goals
- Why US Catholics are planning pilgrimages in communities across the nation
- Sweden raises policy rate to 2.5 pct to curb inflation
Latest articles
Children are evacuated from school 'during an exam' after threat made via email
UN responds to devastating ferry tragedy in Mozambique
Sweden raises policy rate to 2.5 pct to curb inflation
Shanghai real estate company faces $1.2 mln fines for multiple violations
Messi in and Dybala out in Argentina squad for pre
Sweden raises policy rate to 2.5 pct to curb inflation
LINKS
- Baltimore bridge: Cargo ship that caused collapse had power blackout hours before leaving port
- NINETEEN EU countries demand the right to introduce Rwanda
- Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
- China poses 'genuine and increasing' cyber risk to the UK and the 'irresponsible actions' of Beijing
- Marston's losses narrow amid hopes of summer sporting calendar boost
- Westminster dog show has its first mixed
- Chinese books, cultural products welcomed at int'l book fair in Morocco
- Tennessee governor OKs bill allowing death penalty for child rape convictions
- UEFA wants Euro 2024 referees to speak more with captains and get more respect in return
- Assaults on law enforcement in the US reached a 10