Scientists have made a major medical discovery, finding a natural protein, that could be a miracle for the millions of people across the world who suffer from allergies due to hypersensitive or overactive immune systems.
Scientists discover a natural protein that could be the answer
The reactions of the human body to allergies, life-threatening anaphylaxis and debilitating autoimmune disease plagues millions of people across the world, as their own systems are hypersensitive or overreactive as the body attacks itself.
Scientists have just made an incredible new discovery that could literally change life for the millions who suffer with allergies and autoimmune diseases. Researchers have uncovered a protein called neuritin, which is produced by immune cells. This protein acts like antihistamine.
Understanding allergic reactions and overactive immune systems
To fully appreciate the significance of this new scientific breakthrough, it is helpful to first understand the roles of histamine and antihistamines in the body.
When the body detects something harmful, such as an infection, it releases a substance called histamine, the NHS UK reports. The histamine triggers mechanisms to help protect the body, such as causing blood vessels to expand and skin to swell.
For people with allergies or hyperactive immune systems, this mechanism becomes overactive resulting most commonly as an allergic reaction, but also by the body mistaking something harmless, such as house dust, pollen or animal hair, as a threat, resulting in the production of histamine.
Here are common allergic and autoimmune conditions according to John Hopkins Medicine:
Some of the most common allergic conditions are asthma, eczema and allergic rhinitis.
Some of the most common autoimmune diseases, which cause the body to attack normal, healthy tissues, are: Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus.
How antihistamines control allergic reactions
On the flipside, antihistamines are exactly what they sound like, they worked to block the effect of histamine in the body. Antihistamines can even protect the body from reacting before you come in contact with a substance you are likely to have a reaction to, as well as reduce the severity of the symptoms if you take the antihistamines afterward.
Discovery of new protein that acts as natural antihistamine
As mentioned above, the new protein researchers found called neuritin and it acts like natural antihistamine.
The discovery was made by using cultures of cells taken from human tonsils which were studied in transgenic mice, Science Alert reported. The research, which was conducted over five years, gave scientists evidence of how the body might defend itself by the mistakes it makes when it reacts to harmless items as a threat, thus producing histamines.
“There are over 80 autoimmune diseases,” immunologist Paula Gonzalez-Figueroa from the Australian National University explained. “In many of them we find antibodies that bind to our own tissues and attack us instead of targeting pathogens, viruses and bacteria.”
“We found neuritin suppresses formation of rogue plasma cells which are the cells that produce harmful antibodies,” Gonzalez-Figueroa added.
In the study, the mice that lacked the ability to produce neuritin demonstrated an increased chance of death occurring from anaphylaxis when injected with albumin from an egg.
In conclusion, the scientists wrote in their paper, which was published in the journal Cell, “This could be more than a new drug – it could be a completely new approach to treat allergies and autoimmune diseases.”
