{"id":2222,"date":"2024-04-25T15:49:14","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T15:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/?p=2222"},"modified":"2024-04-25T15:53:35","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T15:53:35","slug":"understanding-how-the-body-exits-fight-mode-through-glucocorticoids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/understanding-how-the-body-exits-fight-mode-through-glucocorticoids\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding How the Body Exits ‘Fight’ Mode Through Glucocorticoids"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Recent research conducted by scientists from Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, along with colleagues from Uniklinikum Erlangen and Ulm University, provides new insights into how cortisone and other glucocorticoids help the body manage excessive immune reactions. Their groundbreaking study, published in the journal Nature, demonstrates that glucocorticoids reprogram the metabolism of immune cells to activate the body’s innate anti-inflammatory mechanisms. This deeper understanding could pave the way for developing new anti-inflammatory drugs with reduced side effects.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Role of Cortisone and Glucocorticoids<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cortisone, naturally produced in the body as the stress hormone<\/a> cortisol, plays a vital role in managing physiological stress. It affects various bodily functions including metabolism of sugars and fats, as well as influencing blood pressure and heart<\/a> rate. Medically, its ability to suppress immune activity at higher doses makes it invaluable for treating a range of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.<\/p>\n

Detailed Mechanisms at Play<\/h3>\n

The research team delved into how glucocorticoids influence cellular mechanisms beyond mere gene activation, which was the extent of previous understanding. The new findings highlight that these steroids also significantly affect the mitochondria\u2014the power plants of cells. This mitochondrial influence is crucial in mediating the steroids’ anti-inflammatory effects, particularly in immune cells like macrophages.<\/p>\n

Innovative Findings on Itaconate’s Role<\/h3>\n

One of the standout discoveries of the study is the role of itaconate, an anti-inflammatory molecule naturally produced within the mitochondria of macrophages. Initially, itaconate helps to temper the immune response to prevent overreaction. However, during prolonged inflammation, the production of itaconate can dwindle, leading to unchecked immune activity and potential chronic inflammation.<\/p>\n

The study observed that glucocorticoids help sustain the production of itaconate even during ongoing inflammatory responses, thereby ensuring the continuation of its anti-inflammatory effects. This mechanism is a key contributor to the effectiveness of glucocorticoids in treating inflammatory diseases.<\/p>\n

Clinical Implications and Future Research<\/h3>\n

The findings from this study challenge previous assumptions about how glucocorticoids suppress inflammation and point to mitochondrial function as a critical area of focus. The recognition that itaconate plays a central role in these processes opens new avenues for therapy. Since direct administration of itaconate is impractical due to its instability and potential for side effects, the research team is now exploring synthetic compounds that can mimic the effects of glucocorticoids on mitochondrial metabolism without the associated risks.<\/p>\n

Prospects for New Treatment Options<\/h3>\n

These insights could significantly impact the development of treatments for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis<\/a>, and other chronic inflammatory conditions. By identifying and synthesizing new compounds that target the same mitochondrial pathways as glucocorticoids, researchers hope to create more targeted therapies that avoid the side effects of current steroid<\/a> treatments, such as osteoporosis<\/a>, high blood pressure, and weight gain.<\/p>\n

The progress in this research marks a promising step forward in the quest for safer, more effective anti-inflammatory treatments, highlighting the importance of mitochondrial dynamics in immune regulation. This could ultimately lead to better management strategies for chronic inflammation and a higher quality of life for patients suffering from inflammatory diseases.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recent research conducted by scientists from Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, along with colleagues from Uniklinikum Erlangen and Ulm University, provides […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[491],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2222"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2228,"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2222\/revisions\/2228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}