When the immune system attacks the body own organs, autoimmune illness take place. Type 1 diabetes, for instance, is brought on by the erroneous destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic cells. Several sclerosis is the most typical autoimmune illness of the central nervous system (consisting of the brain and spinal cable). The disease is defined by the damage of the myelin, which is a protective insulation of afferent neuron and is necessary for the fast and correct transmission of electrical signals. Its destruction thus leads to neurological special needs, including paralysis.
“We hypothesized that this can be of particular interest for autoimmunity, where presenting an additional energy-costly program might result in milder immune response and disease outcome. In other words, could we divert the energy expended by the body when the immune system goes awry?”
A drastic reduction in symptoms
To check their hypothesis, the researchers put mice struggling with speculative autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a design of human numerous sclerosis, in a reasonably cooler living environment– about 10 ° C– following an acclimatization period of gradually reducing the ecological temperature level. “After a few days, we observed a clear improvement in the medical seriousness of the illness as well as in the degree of demyelination observed in the central nerve system,” discusses Doron Merkler, teacher at the Department of Pathology and Immunology and the Centre for Inflammation Research at the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine and co-corresponding author of the work. “The animals did not have any difficulty in preserving their body temperature at a normal level, but, singularly, the symptoms of locomotor impairments considerably decreased, from not being able to walk on their hind paws to just a minor paralysis of the tail.”
By forcing the body to increase its metabolism to keep body heat, cold takes resources away from the immune system. This leads to a reduction in damaging immune cells and for that reason enhances the symptoms of the illness.
” While the idea of focusing on the thermogenic over the immune reaction is seemingly protective against autoimmunity, it deserves keeping in mind that cold direct exposure increases susceptibility to certain infections. Therefore, our work could be appropriate not just for neuroinflammation, however likewise other immune-mediated or infectious diseases, which calls for more examination,” includes Mirko Trajkovski.
Autoimmune diseases rising
The improvement in living conditions in Western countries, which has been noticeable over the past decades, has worked together with a boost in cases of autoimmune illness. “While this increase is unquestionably multifactorial, the reality that we have an abundance of energy resources at our disposal may play an important however as yet poorly comprehended function in autoimmune illness advancement,” concludes Doron Merkler.
The scientists will now pursue their research study to much better understand whether their discovery might be established in clinical applications.
Recommendation: “Cold Exposure Protects from Neuroinflammation Through Immunologic Reprogramming” 22 October 2021, Cell Metabolism.DOI: 10.1016/ j.cmet.2021.10.002.
Demyelinated back cord of mice suffering from autoimmune disease. Scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) developed this idea to a particular field of medication: the erroneous activation of the immune system that triggers autoimmune diseases.
Throughout cold, the immune system decreased its damaging activity which considerably attenuated the course of the autoimmune illness. Autoimmune diseases happen when the immune system attacks the body own organs. Multiple sclerosis is the most common autoimmune disease of the central worried system (consisting of the brain and back cord).
Demyelinated back cable of mice suffering from autoimmune illness. Leading, at room temperature level, and bottom, exposed to cold.
Researchers at UNIGE are showing how cold could alleviate the symptoms of numerous sclerosis by denying the immune system of its energy.
In evolutionary biology, the “Life History Theory,” initially proposed in the 1950s, postulates that when the environment is beneficial, the resources used by any organism are committed for development and reproduction. Alternatively, in a hostile environment, resources are transferred to so-called upkeep programs, such as energy preservation and defense against external attacks. Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) developed this idea to a particular field of medicine: the incorrect activation of the immune system that triggers autoimmune diseases.
By studying mice experiencing a design of numerous sclerosis, the research team was successful in figuring out how exposure to cold pushed the organism to divert its resources from the immune system towards keeping body heat. Certainly, throughout cold, the immune system decreased its hazardous activity which considerably attenuated the course of the autoimmune disease. These outcomes, highlighted on the cover of the journal Cell Metabolism, lead the way for a fundamental biological principle on the allocation of energy resources.