Smoke Toxin may Battle Bowel Disease
Reported December 21, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A typically deadly component of cigarette smoke may play a role in fighting the inflammatory bowel disease known as ulcerative colitis, according to a study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh.
Researchers find mice treated with inhaled carbon monoxide experienced a lessening of their symptoms. The investigators believe the gas works by shutting down the inflammatory process in the gut that contributes to the disease. The results of the study also help explain why smokers rarely suffer from ulcerative colitis.
While too much carbon monoxide starves the body of oxygen, the researchers say the body itself produces small amounts of the gas. They decided to test inhaled carbon monoxide in mice that were fed a diet that causes ulcerative colitis to see not only if the gas would lessen symptoms but also how it went about accomplishing that goal.
Results revealed carbon monoxide inhibits the production of interleukin-12, a protein produced by immune cells when the body is faced with invading germs. Usually the inflammation produced by the protein eases off when the infection is gone, but in some cases, such as ulcerative colitis, it keeps going, producing the stomach problems characteristic of the disease.
The authors are planning more studies to see if inhaled carbon monoxide might someday help people with the bowel disorder.
SOURCE: The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 2005;202:1-11