Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Nov 14, 2024 12 hours, 27 minutes ago
Medical News: A Breakthrough in Influenza Research
Influenza, or the flu, is an ever-evolving virus, forcing us to get vaccinated each year as new strains emerge. Some flu strains are more dangerous than others, with past pandemics, like the 1918 outbreak, killing millions worldwide. Even in recent history, flu pandemics in 1957, 1968, and 2009 demonstrated how fast and dangerous the flu virus can be.
Graphical Abstract:Scientists Discover Hidden Key to Fighting Severe Flu Symptoms
To combat the flu's severe impact, a research team led by Dr. Taia Wang, an associate professor of infectious diseases and microbiology and immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine-USA, explored why some people suffer only mild symptoms, while others are hit with severe cases. This
Medical News report delves into a breakthrough discovery: a sugar molecule in our antibodies plays a critical role in determining flu severity. The study, conducted by researchers from Stanford Medicine's Institute for Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection, reveals not only how this molecule affects illness severity but also presents a potential way to mitigate flu symptoms.
The Role of Sialic Acid in Influenza Severity
Dr. Wang and her team found that the amount of a particular sugar, called sialic acid, attached to antibodies may be the difference between mild and severe flu cases. Antibodies are proteins that help our immune systems fight off invaders like viruses and bacteria. When sialic acid is abundant in these antibodies, people tend to experience milder symptoms. In contrast, a lack of sialic acid often correlates with more severe cases.
Through their research, Wang's team demonstrated that adjusting the levels of this sugar molecule on antibodies could help prevent severe symptoms in flu-infected mice. They found that increasing sialic acid did not stop the virus from entering cells or replicating. Instead, it limited the dangerous inflammation in the lungs that causes most severe flu symptoms. These findings could pave the way for treatments to reduce flu severity without relying on stopping viral replication, making it potentially effective across many different flu strains.
Inflammation: The Real Culprit Behind Severe Flu
The research sheds light on how inflammation, not just viral replication, drives severe flu symptoms. When the flu virus infects the lungs, it can trigger an excessive immune response. This inflammation often harms lung tissue and makes it hard for oxygen to reach the bloodstream. Fatal cases of influenza frequently result from this overwhelming inflammation, not the virus itself.
One of the keys to reducing this inflammation lies in a receptor called CD209. Located on immune cells in the lungs, this receptor can dial down inflammation when activated. By increasing the sialic acid in antibodies, the researchers were able to engage CD209, leading to reduced inflammation in the lungs. Dr. Wang noted that this approach does not interfere with the virus's replication, allowing the body to fight the infection without causing severe lung damage.
ong>A Potential Treatment Across Flu Strains
A remarkable finding from the study is that sialic acid-enhanced antibodies worked against multiple types of flu. Traditional flu treatments and vaccines target specific strains, requiring constant updates to keep up with evolving flu viruses. But in this case, the antibodies' effect on inflammation rather than viral replication means this method could be universally applicable, regardless of the flu strain.
The researchers found that these sialic acid-enriched antibodies connect with the CD209 receptor on certain lung immune cells, known as alveolar macrophages. These cells guard the lungs' tiny air sacs (alveoli), where oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange occurs. When alveolar macrophages sense an intruding virus, they release inflammatory signals to summon more immune cells. However, too many immune cells flooding the lungs can backfire, harming healthy tissue and worsening inflammation.
By binding to CD209, the sialic acid-rich antibodies helped alveolar macrophages adopt a more anti-inflammatory stance. Instead of triggering an intense inflammatory response, these cells calmed the immune system, reducing lung damage while still fighting the infection.
Why Older Adults Are at Greater Risk
Interestingly, the study also sheds light on why older adults face higher risks of severe flu symptoms. As people age, the levels of sialic acid in their antibodies naturally decline, leaving their immune systems more prone to harmful inflammation during infections. This age-related decrease may be part of the reason why older individuals are more likely to suffer severe flu symptoms and complications.
The implications go beyond influenza. The aging immune system's reduced sialic acid levels might contribute to other age-related inflammatory conditions, including heart disease, Alzheimer's, and even some cancers. Dr. Wang’s findings suggest that treatments enhancing sialic acid in antibodies could offer benefits beyond flu prevention, potentially alleviating a range of inflammatory diseases that become more common with age.
Applications Beyond Influenza
The study’s insights into antibody function could have applications for many infectious and inflammatory diseases. By harnessing the anti-inflammatory effects of sialic acid-enriched antibodies, treatments could be developed to mitigate severe symptoms across different infections without targeting the virus itself. This method may become a valuable tool for dealing with pandemics, as it could work across various viral strains and pathogens.
Dr. Wang and her team are now conducting additional studies to investigate whether sialic acid-enriched antibodies could help predict which patients are at risk for severe flu cases. They are also examining whether these findings apply to other infections and inflammatory conditions.
Conclusion: The Promise of Sialic Acid in Flu Treatment
This discovery opens new doors in influenza research, providing a potential solution to the challenge of severe flu cases. Unlike vaccines, which must be updated yearly to keep up with new strains, sialic acid-enriched antibodies could offer a universal approach to reducing flu severity. By calming the immune response without stopping viral replication, this method may work for any flu strain and could even be used in pandemic preparedness.
The study’s implications are far-reaching. By reducing lung inflammation, sialic acid-enriched antibodies might help those with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly, who are particularly vulnerable to the flu. Additionally, the potential to apply these findings to other inflammatory diseases could lead to treatments that help manage chronic inflammation, a hallmark of aging.
The study findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal: Immunity.
https://www.cell.com/immunity/fulltext/S1074-7613(24)00482-5
For the latest Influenza News, keep on logging to Thailand Medical News.
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/korean-researchers-find-that-the-herb-angelica-tenuissima-nakai-shows-promise-in-fighting-influenza-a
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