Brain, heal yourself
Immune cells found that can reverse dementia
Vasily Parfenov, Naked Science
American scientists have discovered a new subtype of rod-shaped (immature) neutrophils among mammalian immune cells. In laboratory conditions, they have shown the ability to stop the death of neural cells and even restore connections between them.
In mammalian organisms, granulocytes are the most common class of immune cells. The neutrophils included in them are the first to react to inflammatory processes. They migrate in the tissues to the source of infection or damage and attack an "uninvited guest" – a bacterium, fungus or parasite. After formation in the bone marrow, some neutrophils remain immature. They turn from rod-shaped to segmented (mature) in the bloodstream, organs or tissues of the body. Many of them receive their specialization already "at the place of deployment".
A team of scientists from the University of Michigan and Ohio State University, led by Benjamin Segal, conducted a promising study. The results of this work were published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Immunology (Sas et al., A new neutrophil subset promotes CNS neuron survival and axon regeneration). The article describes the discovery of a new subtype of immune cells and the study of their properties both "in vitro" (in vitro) and in mouse organisms (in vivo).
The researchers found that these cells produce specific growth factors. Neurons that have received serious damage actively react to them. As a result of the activity of newly discovered neutrophils, nerve fibers begin to recover and grow again. Thus, the tissues of the central nervous system not only reduce the damage from injuries, but can also compensate for it.
This discovery has promising implications, despite the very early stage of studying a curious subtype of neutrophils. Having understood the mechanisms of such unusual immune cells, scientists can try to simulate their work. For example, by creating drugs based on specific growth factors of nerve cells. Potentially, this scientific work can serve as a new milestone in the long struggle of mankind with neurodegenerative diseases.
Under laboratory conditions, neutrophils discovered by scientists were able to restore the optic nerve and spinal cord. Successful experiments on mice look promising – in their next work, the researchers plan to investigate the effect of these immune cells on human tissues.
Despite the fact that the frequency of new cases of dementia and its prevalence are falling, dementia is still a serious problem for humanity. In addition to the obvious inconveniences that such a patient creates for his loved ones, he is a rather heavy burden for the healthcare system. Cognitive decline can be caused by many different reasons. The most common of them are Alzheimer's disease, circulatory disorders of the brain, traumatic brain injuries, alcoholism and intracranial tumor processes.
But scientists' optimism is not limited to the most "popular" diagnoses. In their work, they pay attention to the prospects for the treatment of previously hopeless neurodegenerative diseases. Among them, the most famous are multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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