Turkey's Twist on Treating Multiple Sclerosis
Miranda Hitti
Nov. 3, 2005 -- A compound found in turkey may one day help treat
multiple sclerosis (MS), new research shows.
So far, scientists have tested an artificial version of the compound on
mice with an MS-like condition. The strategy they tried reversed the
paralysis caused by the mice's disease, the researchers write in
Science.
That doesn't mean that your Thanksgiving dinner will cure or prevent
MS. But the finding may eventually prompt the development of new drugs
for MS and other diseases.
The researchers included Michael Platten, MD, now of the neurology
department of Germany's University of Tubingen, and Lawrence Steinman,
MD, of Stanford University.
Compound Clue
Platten's team focused on tryptophan, a chemical that's found in turkey
and other meats.
Specifically, they studied compounds released when tryptophan breaks
down.
In the body, tryptophan has several jobs. It helps make serotonin (a
brain chemical), as well as the B vitamin niacin. It may be best known
by the public for making some people feel sleepy after eating turkey.
Platten's experiment focused on how tryptophan's byproducts affect the
immune system.
Calming Killer Cells
In MS, the immune system doesn't work properly.
The immune system is supposed to defend the body from things that don't
belong there (like viruses). But in MS, the immune system attacks the
body itself. That's why MS is called an "autoimmune" disease.
The dirty work is done by "T cells," the immune system's killer cells.
T-cells are called into action by a series of chemical messengers.
Picture an attack dog waiting in its kennel until several layers of
staffers sign off on its release.
What if those chemical orders were short-circuited? Platten's team used
tryptophan's byproducts to do that in mice with an MS-like condition.
Tests on Mice
In one test, the food of the mice was laced with doses of synthetic
tryptophan byproducts. After eating that food, the mice's
disease-related paralysis was reversed, the researchers report.
In another test, mice had "fewer relapses and less severe disease"
after eating the experimental food, the researchers write.
Basically, the byproducts ordered the mice's out-of-control immune
system to calm down. They did that by boosting chemicals that regulate
the immune system. That blocked the mice's disease from launching a
dangerous cascade of T cells.
The byproducts weren't tested on people. The results may point the way
to the creation of a new class of drugs for MS and other diseases, the
researchers write.
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SOURCES: Platten, M. Science, Nov. 4, 2005; vol 310: pp 850-855. News
release, Science. WebMD Medical Reference from "What to Eat if You Have
Cancer": "Protein and Cancer."
Reviewed by Louise Chang
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WebMD Health News 2005. © 2005 WebMD Inc.
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