New Compound May Ease Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis

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MEDLINEplus: New Compound May Ease Crohn's, Ulcerative ColitisTuesday,

April 02, 2002 6:46 PM

New Compound May Ease Crohn's, Ulcerative

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New Compound May Ease Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis

Reuters

 

Thursday, March 28, 2002

 

 

By Jacqueline Stenson

 

NEW YORK, Mar 28 (Reuters Health) - In a finding that may one day lead to a new

drug for inflammatory bowel diseases, Japanese researchers have found that an

investigational compound can help reduce symptoms in mice by stimulating a key

cellular receptor involved in reducing intestinal inflammation.

 

" We may be able to ameliorate the distress of patients with these diseases and

prevent the recurrence of disease by a drug acting on the EP4 receptor, " Shuh

Narumiya, a professor of pharmacology at Kyoto University in Japan, told Reuters

Health.

 

As many as 1 million Americans are affected by the inflammatory bowel diseases

known as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, according to the Crohn's and

Colitis Foundation of America. Both conditions have similar symptoms, including

diarrhea, bloody stools, abdominal pain, fever and weight loss. But while

Crohn's disease can affect any area of the gastrointestinal tract, ulcerative

colitis involves only the innermost lining of the colon (large intestine). There

are medications to decrease inflammation and ease symptoms but there is no cure.

 

In the April issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Narumiya and

colleagues report on studies of laboratory mice that were missing different

types of cellular receptors for hormone-like substances called prostaglandins.

 

Research has suggested that prostaglandins, particularly prostaglandin E2, help

maintain a healthy intestinal lining by protecting against the effects of

stomach acid and that they also prevent inflammation associated with

inflammatory bowel diseases. However, prostaglandin E2 cannot be given to

patients regularly as a drug because it has a reverse effect in other areas of

the body--stimulating inflammation, according to Narumiya.

 

Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) work by reducing

the production of prostaglandins, which contribute to inflammation in, for

example, a sore knee or shoulder. But in the intestinal tract, this inhibition

of prostaglandins by NSAIDs can lead to irritation of the intestinal lining in

healthy patients, causing heartburn and peptic ulcers, and can worsen

inflammatory bowel disease in those with the condition, Narumiya explained.

 

When the mice were given a low dose of a pro-inflammatory compound to

artificially induce intestinal inflammation similar to that of inflammatory

bowel diseases, the mice missing the prostaglandin EP4 receptor developed severe

gastrointestinal symptoms, while the other mice experienced only mild symptoms.

This is likely because prostaglandin E2 binds to and stimulates the

prostaglandin EP4 receptor, which counteracts inflammation, the report

indicates.

 

And when the researchers induced intestinal inflammation in those mice with the

E4 receptor by giving them a heavy dose of pro-inflammatory agents including

NSAIDs, they found that a synthetic version of prostaglandin E2 called AE1-734

helped ease symptoms by binding to the E4 receptor. The drug had no effect in

mice without the E4 receptor.

 

Narumiya said AE1-734 has the important benefit of not causing inflammation

elsewhere in the body and therefore shows promise for treating inflammatory

bowel diseases in people.

 

" The next step is to assess the efficacy and safety of the new compound we

report here in human patients, " Narumiya said.

 

SOURCE: The Journal of Clinical Investigation 2002;109.

 

 

 

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