Non-duplicating antibodies cured mice of diabetes
Researchers at the University of North Carolina, working under the guidance of Professor Roland Tisch, with the help of antibody injections, quickly relieved mice genetically predisposed to the development of type 1 diabetes from the first symptoms of this disease. Moreover, only two injections of a new immunotherapeutic drug were enough to introduce animals into remission of unlimited duration without harming the immune system.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which own (autoreactive) The body's T-lymphocytes destroy insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas.
According to Professor Tisch, earlier clinical studies of immunopreparations, the active ingredient of which are the so-called depletion (depletion, depletion) antibodies, have shown positive results. However, such antibodies do not distinguish autoreactive T-lymphocytes from T-lymphocytes necessary to protect the body from infectious agents. Therefore, such drugs allow you to achieve only temporary improvements, fraught with various complications caused by a decrease in immunity.
As part of the study, the authors injected NOD mice, which are an ideal model for studying type 1 diabetes, with "non-duplicating" antibodies selectively binding to CD4 and CD8 T-lymphocyte receptors. This led to selective elimination of T-lymphocytes from the pancreas and associated lymph nodes. At the same time, the total number of T-lymphocytes in the animals remained unchanged, as well as the ability of their immune system to fight infections.
Clinically, in some animals with newly diagnosed diabetes, the administration of antibodies led to a decrease in blood glucose levels to normal values within 48 hours. Over the next 5 days, 80% of the mice had symptoms of the disease disappear and developed persistent remission. In the overwhelming number of animals that underwent 2 injections of antibodies, remission persisted for more than 400 days of the follow-up period. This happened even though the antibodies were excreted from the body for 2-3 weeks.
The injection of antibodies also increased the number of regulatory T-lymphocytes, whose function is to block autoimmune processes. Thanks to these cells, most people never develop autoimmune diseases.
Currently, researchers are developing and planning to test antibodies specific to the CD4 and CD8 receptors of human T-lymphocytes. They hope that in the future the approach they have developed will find its place in clinical practice as a method of treating type 1 diabetes detected in the early stages.
Article by Zuoan Yi et al. Long-Term Remission of Diabetes in NOD Mice Is Induced by Nondepleting Anti-CD4 and Anti-CD8 Antibodies published in the preliminary on-line version of the journal Diabetes.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of ScienceDaily:
Antibodies Reverse Type 1 Diabetes in New Immunotherapy Animal Study.
09.07.2012