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  2. Prophylactic and therapeutic treatment with a synthetic analogue of a parasitic worm product prevents experimental arthritis and inhibits IL-1β production via NRF2-mediated counter-regulation of the inflammasome

Prophylactic and therapeutic treatment with a synthetic analogue of a parasitic worm product prevents experimental arthritis and inhibits IL-1β production via NRF2-mediated counter-regulation of the inflammasome

  • J Autoimmun. 2015 Jun:60:59-73. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2015.04.005.
Justyna Rzepecka 1 Miguel A Pineda 2 Lamyaa Al-Riyami 3 David T Rodgers 4 Judith K Huggan 5 Felicity E Lumb 6 Abedawn I Khalaf 7 Paul J Meakin 8 Marlene Corbet 9 Michael L Ashford 10 Colin J Suckling 11 Margaret M Harnett 12 William Harnett 13
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NR, UK. Electronic address: justyna.rzepecka@aquila-bm.com.
  • 2 Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK. Electronic address: Miguel.Pineda@glasgow.ac.uk.
  • 3 Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NR, UK. Electronic address: Lamyaa.alriyami@gmail.com.
  • 4 Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK. Electronic address: david.t.rodgers@googlemail.com.
  • 5 Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1Xl, UK. Electronic address: j.huggan@strath.ac.uk.
  • 6 Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NR, UK. Electronic address: felicity.lumb@strath.ac.uk.
  • 7 Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1Xl, UK. Electronic address: abedawn.khalaf@strath.ac.uk.
  • 8 Division of Cardiovascular & Diabetes Medicine, Medical Research Institute, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK. Electronic address: p.j.meakin@dundee.ac.uk.
  • 9 Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK. Electronic address: m.corbet.1@research.gla.ac.uk.
  • 10 Division of Cardiovascular & Diabetes Medicine, Medical Research Institute, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK. Electronic address: m.l.j.ashford@dundee.ac.uk.
  • 11 Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1Xl, UK. Electronic address: c.j.suckling@strath.ac.uk.
  • 12 Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK. Electronic address: Margaret.Harnett@glasgow.ac.uk.
  • 13 Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NR, UK. Electronic address: w.harnett@strath.ac.uk.
Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains a debilitating autoimmune condition as many patients are refractory to existing conventional and biologic therapies, and hence successful development of novel treatments remains a critical requirement. Towards this, we now describe a synthetic drug-like small molecule analogue, SMA-12b, of an immunomodulatory parasitic worm product, ES-62, which acts both prophylactically and therapeutically against collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. Mechanistic analysis revealed that SMA-12b modifies the expression of a number of inflammatory response genes, particularly those associated with the inflammasome in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages and indeed IL-1β was the most down-regulated gene. Consistent with this, IL-1β was significantly reduced in the joints of mice with CIA treated with SMA-12b. SMA-12b also increased the expression of a number of genes associated with anti-oxidant responses that are controlled by the transcription factor NRF2 and critically, was unable to inhibit expression of IL-1β by macrophages derived from the bone marrow of NRF2(-/-) mice. Collectively, these data suggest that SMA-12b could provide the basis of an entirely novel approach to fulfilling the urgent need for new treatments for RA.

Keywords

Arthritis; ES-62; IL-1β; Inflammasome; NRF2; Parasitic worm.

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