Treat Asthma by Neutralizing the Trigger

Researchers have identified a compound that binds to a major dust mite allergen and turned it into an inhalable powder, which when tested in rats, showed that it significantly dampens the animals' immune response when they were exposed to a variety of allergens. This new approach of treating asthma is by targeting the trigger before it can spark an attack. Current asthma treatments alleviate wheezing, coughing and other symptoms, but they do not get to the root cause of the condition. Getting to the cause of a condition and targeting it directly is the ideal approach to prevent many health problems. Asthma that occurs when the immune system goes into overdrive affecting the airway in response to an otherwise harmless substance, had posed a challenge to this model, because it can be triggered by different allergens or irritants.

But recent studies suggest a way to neutralize mite allergens. This newly found compound and other similar inhibitors could hail a new direction in asthma treatment, say the researchers. The study is published in Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.



Source-Medindia