Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental College have found that Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, a bacterium recognized to trigger gum illness, can exacerbate rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Revealed on August 15, the examine used mice to look at this hyperlink and located that an infection with this bacterium triggers an immune response that aggravates arthritis signs.
Earlier scientific research have proven that A. actinomycetemcomitans is related to “aggressive periodontitis,” an irritation of the tissue surrounding the enamel, and will probably worsen RA. Nonetheless, the precise mechanism remained unclear till this examine.
Key participant protein
The researchers recognized a key participant on this course of: a protein known as caspase-11. When A. actinomycetemcomitans is current, caspase-11 prompts the inflammasome, a gaggle of proteins inside immune cells that results in elevated irritation within the joints. This heightened irritation exacerbates arthritis signs.
Curiously, when the researchers blocked caspase-11 or employed remedies to cut back inflammasome exercise, the mice skilled considerably milder arthritis signs.
“Joint swelling and immune cell infiltration have been notably decrease in caspase-11-deficient mice in comparison with wild-type mice following A. actinomycetemcomitans an infection,” the examine notes.
This discovering means that concentrating on this pathway might provide a brand new strategy to treating or managing rheumatoid arthritis, significantly in sufferers with concurrent gum illness.
