Finding may help scientists develop drug to treat autoimmune disease, researcher says Posted June 30, 2008
By Kathleen Doheny HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- Caffeine just might prevent multiple sclerosis, a new animal study suggests.
Giving mice the equivalent of 6 to 8 cups of coffee a day prevented mice from getting the animal model equivalent of MS, said Dr. Linda Thompson, of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and a member of the team reporting the finding in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease, affects about 400,000 Americans, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
The T-cells from the body's immune system attack the myelin, the fatty sheath that normally protects the nerve fibers in the central nervous system.
This, in turn, produces scar tissue and triggers the symptoms of MS, which can include numbness, weakness, lack of muscle coordination and problems with bladder control, speech and vision.
Here's why the coffee warded off MS, Thompson explained: It prevented the molecule adenosine, one of the four building blocks of DNA, from binding to the adenosine receptor at the cellular level.
When adenosine cannot bind to receptors at the cellular level, this in turn prevents T-cells from reaching the central nervous system and setting off the events that lead to the animal version of MS.
"From a scientific point of view, the bottom line is, adenosine in this mouse model is needed for the disease-causing T-cells to get into the central nervous system," Thompson said. "That was the big, unexpected finding."
The discovery shows how important the adenosine molecule is in allowing immune cells to infiltrate the central nervous system.
In the animals, the T-cells were activated, but they couldn't get into the central nervous system, because the caffeine was bound to the adenosine receptors.
Dr. John Richert, executive vice president of research and clinical programs for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, said the new finding is "potentially big news many years down the road."
But he cautioned that the research is in the early stages, and the whole process needs to be studied in humans.
Thompson agreed.
"First, we have to learn if adenosine plays the same role in people," she said. "In humans, it is not known if adenosine regulates the entry of T-cells into the central nervous system."
If the same findings bear out in humans, she said, the hope is to develop a drug that would degrade adenosine, prevent it from being formed, or prevent T-cells from getting into the central nervous system.
She noted that the discovery holds promise for other autoimmune diseases, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
The challenge, she said, is that adenosine receptors "are everywhere in the body." So, the drug would have to be specific enough to only act on the adenosine receptors that control access of the T-cells to the central nervous system.
Even so, Richert said, "it's a potential therapeutic target that needs to be explored."
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
| IP: Logged |
Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
A combo. of caffeine, theophylline and pentoxifylline...
Alkaline phosphatase.
Posts: 9424 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
AliG
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9734
posted
If caffeine prevents T-cells from getting into CNS, would that also allow Bb to remain at large in there?
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
| IP: Logged |
quote: Here's why the coffee warded off MS, Thompson explained: It prevented the molecule adenosine, one of the four building blocks of DNA, from binding to the adenosine receptor at the cellular level.
Second, immune cells enter the CNS to destroy pathogens. If they cause too much damage, a person can have a lesions. But if they cannot infiltrate there, they cannot perform their actions and clean up CNS.
Posts: 636 | From Wroclaw, Poland | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
Caffeine enhances acetylcholine release.
Which is why it helps us to wake up and be ready to face the day.
Bb can NOT breakdown acetylcholine, but we can and do.
Make it...break it down...make it...break it down.
The level of acetylcholine is directly related to "intelligence", but in reality...it is the # of working RECEPTORS that matter.
We MAKE more receptors as we learn.
Years ago...a Canadian doctor recommended injecting lidocaine under the tick before removing it. This will block the acetylcholine receptors and keep acetylcholine levels high longer.
Bb needs us to breakdown acetylcholine 'cause it needs an "acetyl" group and choline.
As I understand.
Adenosine : a purine nucleoside composed of *adenine* linked by its N9 nitrogen to the C1 carbon of ribose. It is a component of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and its nucleotides...
RNA differs from DNA in only one way. RNA has an extra oxygen molecule. It must lose that oxygen to transcribe DNA to our "offspring". RNA-> DNA.
This is why some people benefit from D-ribose as a supp.
It is a 5 carbon sugar, not 6.
Posts: 9424 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
This is interesting though. I would like to ask the MS people how many of them drink caffeinated beverages and how many not. I have a feeling more of them drink it.
Posts: 636 | From Wroclaw, Poland | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
sparkle7
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10397
posted
re:
Giving mice the equivalent of 6 to 8 cups of coffee a day prevented mice from getting the animal model equivalent of MS
The mice also stayed up all night watching movies on cable TV... LOL
This is good news. I also have been reading studies about Green Tea. There are some very good studies about many benefits.
Posts: 7772 | From Northeast, again... | Registered: Oct 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
LOLOLOL 6-8 cups of coffee for small mice :] Maybe they were trying to create a Hyper Mice or super mice.
Posts: 636 | From Wroclaw, Poland | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
The *equivalent* of 6-8 cups based on their body weight compared to ours.
6-8 cups given to mice would likely kill them...
All that running to the bathroom.
Posts: 9424 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
I also wonder with this kind of studies whether they give mice solely caffeine or coffee extract. They often seem to forget to stress this out. coffee is like 1000 chemicals.
Posts: 636 | From Wroclaw, Poland | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
sparkle7
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10397
posted
Good point about caffeine vs coffee -
re: Caffeine just might prevent multiple sclerosis, a new animal study suggests.
Giving mice the equivalent of 6 to 8 cups of coffee a day prevented mice from getting the animal model equivalent of MS...
---
It seems to infer that they gave the mice caffeine in the amount equivalent of 6-8 cups for a person.
I don't think the mice were actually drinking frappichinos...
Posts: 7772 | From Northeast, again... | Registered: Oct 2006
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[confused]](graemlins/confused.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[puke]](graemlins/puke.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic