Intestinal inflammation: New therapeutic method discovered

Researchers have discovered a Gene that is activated in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. To inhibit the activity of this gene, could particularly help people with severe and therapy resistant disease.

The Gene name SERPIN-1 is particularly active in people with severe inflammatory bowel disease who do not respond to drugs that suppress the immune system. Also in mice in which an intestinal disease artificially caused, this Gene is especially active. It was by a treatment with the substance MDI-2268 inhibit, and the inflammation decreased significantly. These researchers report the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in the journal Science Translational Medicine Logo.

"There is a large interest in novel therapeutic approaches for chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, because the inhibition of the messengers of inflammatory substances in all patients funktioniert", Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck, a Professor of laboratory and genomic medicine, said. "We have found a unique target of the blocking, but the inflammation and disease symptoms reduced, at least in mice. If further studies confirm our results, we think that this treatment for many patients would be helpful."

People with chronic inflammatory bowel disease often suffer from severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, and in severe cases, rectal bleeding. Not all patients popular treatments to beat so far.

To find genes that disorders in inflammatory bowel play a role, the researchers have analysed 1800 intestinal biopsies from different studies, in which the sick with healthy people compared.

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