Posted on 04/11/2011 5:09:00 PM PDT by decimon
New research in the FASEB Journal suggests that intervening with neutralizing antibodies to C5a or its receptors could prevent development of cardiomyopathy in patients with sepsis
New research published online in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) details research in rats and mice that offers hope for stopping the devastating, and often fatal, effects of sepsis in humans. In the study, University of Michigan researchers show how neutralizing the effects of a key protein fragment, called C5a, used by the immune system to attract white blood cells may ultimately prevent heart failure.
"During sepsis, heart failure is a common feature of the later stages of the syndrome," said Peter A. Ward, M.D., a senior scientist involved in the work from the Department of Pathology at the University of Michigan Health Systems in Ann Arbor, MI. "The current studies in experimental sepsis suggest that cardiomyocytes interact with the powerful complement-derived C5a anaphylatoxin, resulting in release of cardiosuppressive cytokines that may be linked with defective cardiomyocyte function developing during sepsis."
To make their discovery, Ward and colleagues obtained specialized heart muscle cells, called "cardiomyocytes" (CMs), from normal rats and incubated them in the laboratory with C5a. They found that the cardiomyocyes released specialized immune cells, called cytokines (IL-6 and TNF alpha), in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner. Sepsis was also induced in mice, and CMs isolated from these mice and examined in vitro. The scientists found that these cells spontaneously released a variety of cytokines, several of which appeared to have the potential to harm the heart. When other mice with beginning stages of sepsis were injected with an antibody to neutralize C5a, the activity of the heart-harming cytokines was reduced. Furthermore, when mice bred to lack receptors for C5a were subjected to sepsis, little or no spontaneous release of cytokines from heart cells occurred.
"Under the best circumstances, sepsis is unpredictable and difficult to treat," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journa1, "It's perhaps the most serious problem in emergency medicine and when sepsis affects the heart it moves from serious to grave. Now that we know that C5a is at least partly responsible, antibodies to C5a promise to get to the heart of the problem."
According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, NIH, Sepsis is a major challenge in the intensive care unit, where it is one of the leading causes of death. It is caused when immune chemicals released into the blood to combat infection trigger widespread inflammation, resulting in impaired blood flow, which damages the body's organs by depriving them of nutrients and oxygen. In the worst cases, the heart weakens and multiple organs—lungs, kidneys, liver—may quickly fail and the patient can die. Each year, severe sepsis strikes about 750,000 Americans, and as many as half die, which is more than the number of U.S. deaths from prostate cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined.
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Receive monthly highlights from The FASEB Journal by signing up at http://www.faseb.org/fjupdate.aspx or you can "like" the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology on Facebook. The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) is published by the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2011. Over the past quarter century, the journal has been recognized by the Special Libraries Association as one of the top 100 most influential biomedical journals of the past century and is the most cited biology journal worldwide according to the Institute for Scientific Information.
FASEB comprises 23 societies with more than 100,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States. FASEB enhances the ability of scientists and engineers to improve—through their research—the health, well-being and productivity of all people. FASEB's mission is to advance health and welfare by promoting progress and education in biological and biomedical sciences through service to our member societies and collaborative advocacy.
Details: Gelareh Atefi, Firas S. Zetoune, Todd J. Herron, José Jalife, Markus Bosmann, Rami Al-Aref, J. Vidya Sarma, and Peter A. Ward. Complement dependency of cardiomyocyte release of mediators during sepsis. FASEB J. doi:10.1096/fj.11-183236 ; http://www.fasebj.org/content/early/2011/04/08/fj.11-183236.abstract
Ping
With all these improvements coming along I may be around for a LONG time.
How exciting is that?
I am not so sure.
My adult kids don’t listen to me when I am trying to impart the most basic information (like, don’t fall for and buy “Topsy-Turvey” bags for tomatoes).
And, don’t freak out when seasonal bugs show up, and poison the whole family trying to blast them to oblivion, when they do no real harm to anything (think box-elder flies, spring ants, cluster flies,and asian lady bugs in the fall)
I could go on, but then I would be just another boring old lady, you know.
This is important news. Thanks for posting it!
How exciting is that?
Hate to break this to you, Fred, but you're not exciting. ;-)
Nonetheless, I hope you are around for a long time.
You are welcome.
I like you.
Ummm....did you say something?
Just kidding.
A long time ago my dad was searching in vain for the striker for the oxy/acetylene torch.
Finally he asks if I have a lighter.
I pull it out and he says here, light this.
Apparently he has the oxygen on with the acteylene and when I light the torch he “accidently” blows that 2 million degree flame across the back of my trigger finger.
Instantly fries it.
He looks at it and says I bet you never do that again. And smiles.
So believe me.
I know how to listen.
bump
And I was gonna invite you out to the Kiwi Loco for a frozen yogurt...WITH SPRINKLES.
BTW, did you see the thread about IBM finding a way to kill bacteria like MRSA? A couple of threads before this one.
I may be having some surgery soon. But I ain't having it over at the EIRMC. Don't know so much about their sepsis program. But they kill plenty with their staph.
With sprinkles?
At any rate, best luck with the surgery, if needed. And best luck with the staff and the staph.
thanks decimon
It's part of the innate immune system.
Eat more capsicum (the hotter the better) and you’ll be around even longer.
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