• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Sunday, October 5, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Health

Lab-created molecule achieves positive results in the treatment of arthritis

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
August 11, 2020
in Health
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
IMAGE
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Tested in mice with genetically induced arthritis, the substance decreased the area affected, reduced local swelling, and assuaged the pain associated with the inflammatory process.

IMAGE

Credit: N.H. Napimoga

By José Tadeu Arantes | Agência FAPESP – Arthritis affects almost 2% of the world’s population, or some 150 million people, and currently, there is no completely effective treatment for this chronic disease. A new molecule developed in the laboratory has been shown to have potential therapeutic effects. Tested in mice with genetically induced arthritis, it suppressed the inflammatory process, reducing both inflammation and joint tissue wear and tear. Arthritic mice treated with the substance displayed less pain and swelling and had lower clinical scores measuring the extent of the inflammation than untreated arthritic rats.

The findings are reported in an article in The FASEB Journal, published by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB).

“The study showed that this new molecule is capable of controlling the most severe manifestations of the disease,” Marcelo Henrique Napimoga, principal investigator for the project in Brazil, told Agência FAPESP. Napimoga is Head of Graduate Studies, Research and Extension at São Leopoldo Mandic College (SLMANDIC). The study was part of a Thematic Project supported by FAPESP.

The new molecule is called TPPU, short for 1-trifluoromethoxyphenyl-3-(1-propionylpiperidin-4-yl) urea. Its function of interest is inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), an enzyme that plays a key role in activating inflammatory processes and can lead to chronic inflammation.

“Our organism naturally produces an anti-inflammatory substance called epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET), but sEH converts EET into 1,2-dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid (DHET), which not only can’t control inflammation but also can have proinflammatory effects. Inhibition of sEH is therefore crucial to the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. This is what TPPU does,” Napimoga explained.

The illustration at the top of this page contains two photographs of mouse paws. Both mice have genetically induced arthritis. The one on the left has been treated with TPPU, while the other has not. The treated mouse’s paw is much less swollen and has a lower arthritis score (fewer toes are affected).

According to Napimoga, the treatment also reduced the degree of pain associated with inflammation. “This was because control of the inflammatory process led to a decrease in the migration of white blood cells to the affected region, not just attenuating the disease but reducing cartilage erosion,” he said. “In addition, the treated group showed an increase in the number of regulatory T-cells, lymphocytes that produce anti-inflammatory cytokines, and a decrease in the number of Th17 defense cells, which are highly inflammatory.”

TPPU was designed to be well tolerated and easily absorbed when administered orally. “It boosts the body’s natural defenses and increases the number of metabolites our organism produces. This is a great advantage over conventional treatments based on large doses of corticosteroids, which have adverse side effects,” Napimoga said. “Besides the excellent anti-inflammatory effect, TPPU also has a strong analgesic effect.”

Bruce Hammock, a professor at University of California Davis who developed TPPU and is one of the authors of the FASEB Journal article, was recently awarded a grant of USD 15 million by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to support human clinical trials of a nonopioid pain therapy.

The article “Soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor, TPPU, increases regulatory T cells pathway in an arthritis model” can be read at: faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1096/fj.202000415R.

Media Contact
Heloisa Reinert
[email protected]

Original Source

https://agencia.fapesp.br/33825/

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1096/fj.202000415r

Tags: AgingBiochemistryChemistry/Physics/Materials SciencesGerontologyPainPharmaceutical ChemistryPharmaceutical SciencePharmaceutical SciencesPharmaceutical/Combinatorial Chemistry
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

ICU Nurses’ Perspectives on End-of-Life Care

October 5, 2025

Exchange Transfusion Impact on Severe Infant Pertussis

October 5, 2025

Smyd3 Loss Boosts WAT Browning via PPARγ Enhancement

October 5, 2025

Spectator Medicine: Analyzing Men’s Ice Hockey Health Trends

October 5, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    94 shares
    Share 38 Tweet 24
  • New Study Indicates Children’s Risk of Long COVID Could Double Following a Second Infection – The Lancet Infectious Diseases

    92 shares
    Share 37 Tweet 23
  • Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    75 shares
    Share 30 Tweet 19
  • New Insights Suggest ALS May Be an Autoimmune Disease

    70 shares
    Share 28 Tweet 18

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

ICU Nurses’ Perspectives on End-of-Life Care

Exploring Splicing Patterns in Medicinal Rheum Palmatum

Exchange Transfusion Impact on Severe Infant Pertussis

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Success! An email was just sent to confirm your subscription. Please find the email now and click 'Confirm' to start subscribing.

Join 62 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.