PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Molecular component of caffeine may play a role in gut health

2023-03-14
(Press-News.org) Brigham researchers studying how and why certain cell types proliferate in the gut found that xanthine, which is found in coffee, tea and chocolate, may play a role in Th17 differentiation   Insights may help investigators better understand gut health and the development of conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease The gut is home to a cast of microbes that influence health and disease. Some types of microorganisms are thought to contribute to the development of inflammatory conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but the exact cascade of events that leads from microbes to immune cells to disease remains mysterious.  A new study by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, explores exactly what leads to the generation of Th17 cells—an important subtype of cells in the intestine—and uncovers some of the underappreciated molecular players and events that lead to cell differentiation in the gut. One of those players is the purine metabolite xanthine, which is found at high levels in caffeinated foods such as coffee, tea and chocolate. Results of the study are published in Immunity.

“One of the concepts in our field is that microbes are required for Th17 cell differentiation, but our study suggests that there may be exceptions,” said co-lead auhor Jinzhi Duan, PhD, of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy in the Department of Medicine at BWH. “We studied the underlying mechanisms of Th17 cell generation in the gut and found some surprising results that may help us to better understand how and why diseases like IBD may develop.”

While illuminating the steps leading to Th17 cell differentiation, the researchers unexpectedly discovered a role for xanthine in the gut.

“Sometimes in research, we make these serendipitous discoveries—it’s not necessarily something you sought out, but it’s an interesting finding that opens up further areas of inquiry,” said senior author Richard Blumberg, MD, of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy in the Department of Medicine. “It’s too soon to speculate on whether the amount of xanthine in a cup of coffee leads to helpful or harmful effects in a person’s gut, but it gives us interesting leads to follow up on as we pursue ways to generate a protective response and stronger barrier in the intestine.”

Interleukin-17-producing T helper (Th17) cells are thought to play a key role in the intestine. The cells can help to build a protective barrier in the gut, and when a bacterial or fungal infection occurs, these cells may release signals that cause the body to produce more Th17 cells. But the cells have also been implicated in diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and IBD.

Duan, co-lead author Juan Matute, MD, Blumberg and colleagues used several mouse models to study the molecular events that lead to the development of Th17 cells. Surprisingly, they found that Th17 cells could proliferate even in germ-free mice or mice that had been giving antibiotics wiping out bacteria. The team found that endoplasmic reticulum stress in intestinal epithelial cells drove Th17 cell differentiation through purine metabolites, such as xanthine, even in mice that did not carry microbes and with genetic signatures that suggested cells with protective properties.

The authors note that their study was limited to cells in the intestine—it’s possible that crosstalk between cells in the gut and other organs, such as the skin and lung, may have an important influence on outcomes. They also note that their study does not identify what causes Th17 cells to become pathogenic—that is, play a role in disease. They note that further exploration is needed, including studies that focus on human-IBD Th17 cells.

“While we don’t yet know what’s causing pathogenesis, the tools we have developed here may take us a step closer to understanding what causes disease and what could help resolve or prevent it,” said Blumberg.

Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants DK044319, DK051362, DK053056, DK088199, DK117565, DK110559, DK015070), the Harvard Digestive Diseases Center (DK034854), CCF Research Fellowship Award (#707702), the Pediatric Scientist Development Program (K12HD000850), Austrian Science Fund (FWF J 4396), the Wellcome Trust (senior investigator award 106260/Z/14/Z and 222497/Z/21/Z), the European Research Council (HORIZON2020/ERC grant agreement no. 648889), the DFG individual grant (SO1141/10-1); DFG Research Unit FOR5042 ‘‘miTarget - The Microbiome as a Target in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases’’ (project P5); the DFG Cluster of Excellence 2167 Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation, the BMBF project iTREAT (SP5); and the EU H2020 grant SYSCID (contract no. 733100).

Paper cited: Duan J et al. “Endoplasmic reticulum stress in intestinal epithelium initiates purine metabolite synthesis and promotes Th17 cell differentiation in the gut” Immunity DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.02.018

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Ochsner Health announces new Aortic Center; subscribes to cutting-edge imaging with Cydar Technology

Ochsner Health announces new Aortic Center; subscribes to cutting-edge imaging with Cydar Technology
2023-03-14
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Global death rates from aortic diseases have steadily increased over the past two decades. Studies show up to 8% of individuals will develop an aortic aneurysm during their lifetime, higher than rates of colon and lung cancer combined, and over 80% of ruptured aortic aneurysms cause sudden death.  To save lives and improve outcomes for patients with aortic disease of all kinds, Ochsner Health is excited to announce the establishment of The Ochsner Aortic Center. Outfitted with cutting-edge imaging technology that allows medical staff to make faster, easier, and safer decisions, this dedicated, comprehensive aortic center is now the ...

Aston Pharmacy School researchers develop new technique mixing oil and water to improve drug delivery

2023-03-14
A team of researchers from Aston University has developed a new technique that could be a game changer for the medical and drinks industries. The technology enables insoluble drug/oil to be dissolved in water. The technique is novel because it doesn’t just mix the two together to make an emulsion, it makes oil soluble in water and has the potential to revolutionise a variety of medical treatments and improve drug delivery. The technique was developed with Max Bio+ a spin out company founded by Professor Sunil Shah, a consultant ...

New guideline introduces recommendations for optimal timing of elective hip or knee arthroplasty

2023-03-14
ATLANTA — The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) released a summary of its new guideline titled “the Optimal Timing of Elective Hip or Knee Arthroplasty for Patients with Symptomatic Moderate to Severe Osteoarthritis or Osteonecrosis Who Have Failed Nonoperative Therapy.” The ACR and AAHKS have worked together before, creating guidelines for Perioperative Management of Antirheumatic Medication in Patients with Rheumatic Diseases Undergoing Elective Total Hip or Total Knee Arthroplasty in 2017 and 2022. While those guidelines focus on which medications ...

Solving the Alzheimer’s disease puzzle: One piece at a time

Solving the Alzheimer’s disease puzzle: One piece at a time
2023-03-14
Researchers from Drexel University have uncovered a novel regulatory mechanism in the brain that is essential for making the right kinds of proteins that promote healthy brain function, and its malfunctioning may be an early contributor of the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Brain cells are continuously undergoing changes in response to environmental stimuli and to record new memories. Such complex brain capability relies on the ability of brain cells to generate different functional variants of the same protein using a process known as alternative RNA splicing. Recent studies have reported defects ...

Stephen Fantone elected chair of Hertz Foundation’s board of directors

Stephen Fantone elected chair of Hertz Foundation’s board of directors
2023-03-14
The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the most promising innovators in science and technology, has announced the election of Stephen D. Fantone as chair of its board of directors. Fantone is the founder and president of Optikos Corporation, which provides innovative applications of optical technology, both products and services, to commercial, government and consumer products organizations worldwide. Fantone is a recognized expert in optical engineering and optical product ...

WVU lab’s game-changing high-performance semiconductor material could help slash heat emissions

2023-03-14
Researchers at West Virginia University have engineered a material with the potential to dramatically cut the amount of heat power plants release into the atmosphere. A team led by Xueyan Song, professor and George B. Berry Chair of Engineering at the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, has created an oxide ceramic material that solves a longstanding efficiency problem plaguing thermoelectric generators. Those devices can generate electricity from heat, including power plant heat emissions, which contribute to global warming. The breakthrough ...

William Evans joins Hertz Foundation board of directors

William Evans joins Hertz Foundation board of directors
2023-03-14
The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the most promising innovators in science and technology, has announced the election of William Evans to its board of directors. Evans is the physics division leader in the Physical and Life Sciences Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which works to enable United States security and global stability and resilience by empowering multidisciplinary teams to pursue bold and innovative science and technology. “It is imperative that the Hertz Foundation’s board of directors ...

COVID-19 pandemic has long-lasting effects on adolescent mental health and substance use

2023-03-14
March 14, 2023-- The COVID-19 pandemic has had a long-lasting impact on adolescent mental health and substance use according to a new population-based study are based on survey responses from a nationwide sample of over 64,000 13–18-year-old North American and Icelandic adolescents assessed prior to and up to two years into the pandemic. The study was conducted by faculty at Columbia University Teachers College and Mailman School of Public Health and a team of Icelandic and other North American clinical, behavioral and social scientists. The findings are published in published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. This same research team ...

Learning behavior differs between OCD and problem gambling

Learning behavior differs between OCD and problem gambling
2023-03-14
Shinsuke Suzuki at The University of Melbourne, Australia reports distinct patterns of reward-seeking behavior between obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and problem gambling, in a study publishing in the open access journal PLOS Biology on March 14th. OCD is associated with lower-than-normal learning rates when rewards are less than expected. On the other hand, people with problem gambling exhibit boosted and blunted learning from rewards higher and lower than expected, respectively. Understanding the differences between obsessive and addictive behaviors is essential for developing treatments for conditions like problem gambling ...

Global maternal Strep B vaccination program could save millions and prevent thousands of deaths worldwide

Global maternal Strep B vaccination program could save millions and prevent thousands of deaths worldwide
2023-03-14
A global maternal immunization program for group B Streptococcus - strep B - would save millions in healthcare costs by reducing death and disability, but without tiered pricing, equitable access would likely not be achieved. Several vaccines are currently under development, and an assessment of the impact and value of a global program is publishing March 14th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine. It finds that this could avert over 200,000 cases and more than 31,000 deaths, and reduce disability in children. Strep B can infect pregnant women and their babies, causing sepsis and meningitis in newborns, and sometimes leading to death or disability. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

AI replaces humans in identifying causes of fuel cell malfunctions

Pitfalls of FDA-approved germline cancer predisposition tests

A rising trend of 'murderous verbs' in movies over 50 years

Brain structure differences are associated with early use of substances among adolescents

Pain coping skills training for patients receiving hemodialysis

Trends of violence in movies during the past half century

Major depressive disorder and driving behavior among older adults

John Howington, MD, MBA, FCCP, to become the 87th President of the American College of Chest Physicians

Preclinical study finds surges in estrogen promote binge drinking in females

Coming AI economy will sell your decisions before you take them, researchers warn

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe makes history with closest pass to Sun

Are we ready for the ethical challenges of AI and robots?

Nanotechnology: Light enables an "impossibile" molecular fit

Estimated vaccine effectiveness for pediatric patients with severe influenza

Changes to the US preventive services task force screening guidelines and incidence of breast cancer

Urgent action needed to protect the Parma wallaby

Societal inequality linked to reduced brain health in aging and dementia

Singles differ in personality traits and life satisfaction compared to partnered people

President Biden signs bipartisan HEARTS Act into law

Advanced DNA storage: Cheng Zhang and Long Qian’s team introduce epi-bit method in Nature

New hope for male infertility: PKU researchers discover key mechanism in Klinefelter syndrome

Room-temperature non-volatile optical manipulation of polar order in a charge density wave

Coupled decline in ocean pH and carbonate saturation during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

Unlocking the Future of Superconductors in non-van-der Waals 2D Polymers

Starlight to sight: Breakthrough in short-wave infrared detection

Land use changes and China’s carbon sequestration potential

PKU scientists reveals phenological divergence between plants and animals under climate change

Aerobic exercise and weight loss in adults

Persistent short sleep duration from pregnancy to 2 to 7 years after delivery and metabolic health

Kidney function decline after COVID-19 infection

[Press-News.org] Molecular component of caffeine may play a role in gut health