Glycans Involved in Crohn's Disease

Researchers have used specific antibodies to show that modified glycans exposed on the surface of intestinal cells are involved in the development of chronic inflammatory diseases of the intestinal tract such as Crohn's disease.

) generated a series of antibodies that recognized the carboxylated glycans on the surface of cells obtained from patients with inflammatory colon disease. They reported in the October 15, 2005, issue of the Journal of Immunology that treatment of mice expressing a model for Crohn's disease with an anti-carboxylate glycan antibody markedly reduced clinical and histologic signs of the disease in preventive and early therapeutic protocols. Antibody treatment reduced accumulation of CD4+ T cells in the colon. This was accompanied by reduction in inflammatory cells and reduced expression of proinflammatory cytokines.

Senior author Professor Hudson Freeze, director of glycobiology and carbohydrate chemistry at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, said, "We looked at a number of sugar-binding molecules that may have had a role in inflammation. One of the sugar chains elicited an antibody response, so we wondered whether the antibody would be able to block inflammation in mice. If so, this could have implications for inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's, and also might help combat other autoimmune inflammatory diseases, like arthritis. Our antibody was developed for use in mice. We need to ‘humanize' it, make the antibody suitable for human consumption.”




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Burnham Institute for Medical Research