Researchers in the United Kingdom have identified a biological pathway that could explain the onset of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in a subset of individuals. The findings of this scientific endeavor have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Experts from Cambridge, Oxford, and Newcastle Universities conducted an analysis of medical information from 4909 individuals. It was revealed that inflammatory bowel diseases do not represent a single, uniform condition. In 3.5 percent of the examined patients, autoantibodies targeting the protein interleukin-10 were detected. This protein plays a crucial role in regulating and suppressing inflammatory responses within the body. Such antibodies are notably absent in healthy individuals.
When this protein is inhibited, the immune system loses its capacity to effectively manage inflammation. The researchers also determined that the presence of these autoantibodies is associated with a specific genetic variant, HLA-DRB1*01:03. The authors of the study suggest that these discoveries hold the potential for the future development of a blood test for precise disease diagnosis and the creation of therapeutic approaches that address the root cause of the inflammation.
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