New lupus treatment shows early promise claims US research team

A new treatment that may reverse the effects of the most common type of lupus has shown promising results after early testing, says a team of researchers from the University of Florida Health. The treatment involves regulating metabolism in cells that affect how lupus develops in the body.
The researchers looked at the way specialised white blood cells (CD4 T-cells) use nutrients and saw that in lupus, these cells used mostly glucose, for energy metabolism. This seems to be critical in causing inflammation in the immune system and the tissue destruction that results from the disease. When the researchers blocked glucose metabolism by using metformin (a common drug that treats type 2 diabetes) and a glucose inhibitor, the CD4 T-cells returned to normal activity and the symptoms of lupus were reversed.
So far it has been tested on human cells and mice but it has yet to been trialled in humans.
“It’s the first time that it has been shown that you can have an effect on lupus symptoms and manifestation by normalizing cellular metabolism,” explains Prof Laurence Morel, who is involved in the work.

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Image credit: George Redgrave