Annexin I Modulates Inflammatory Response

Researchers studying how the immune system works have found that the anti-inflammatory protein annexin 1 protects the individual from the detrimental effects of severe inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).

Investigators at Barts and the London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry (UK), developed a line of mice lacking the gene for annexin 1. They challenged these animals with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) toxin and compared the response of their immune systems to that of normal mice.

Results published in the June 2005 issue of the American Journal of Pathology revealed that in normal animals the annexin 1 gene was activated as early as 90 minutes after LPS administration, with levels returning to normal by 24 hours. In contrast, administration of LPS to annexin 1-deficient mice produced a toxic response characterized by organ injury and death within 48 hours. The toxic response could be reversed by injections of low doses of annexin 1.

Senior author, Dr. Mauro Perretti, professor of biochemical pharmacology at Barts and the London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, said, "For too long, we have ignored anti-inflammatory/counter-regulatory mediators and the impact they have on pathology outcome; studying the way our body controls responses to infections can allow the modeling of new therapeutics with lower side effects.”





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