Taming Lupus

Systemic lupus erythematosus or commonly known as just lupus is a disorder that we don't commonly hear about. However it affects over 1.4 million Americans. It has a variety of symptoms ranging from the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood vessels or even the brain. One common symptom is the butterfly shaped rash across the face. Lupus is a disease of the immune system. What happens is the antibodies that are supposed to attack and kill foreign invaders attack the healthy cells. This "self-attack" is known as autoimmunity which includes other diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and maybe even psoriasis. Lupus is more severe than these other diseases because the antibodies are known to and sometimes even target the DNA in the cells. These attacks can cause immolation which can cause disruption of the normal functions of cells. In laboratory studies the auto antibodies have attached themselves to healthy cells and destroyed or penetrated them to disrupt normal cell function.
The specific cause of lupus is currently unknown, however there is currently extensive research being done. It has been discovered that lupus can be passed by genetics; about 10% of people effected have close blood relatives how are infected with this disease. However genetics only accounts for a small percentage of cases, therefore the environmental contributors must have some part in this disease. Many of the patients exhibit sensitivity to rays from the sun and receive rashes. The common belief is that the ultraviolet light changes the DNA in the skin cells causing the cells not to recognize each other. Therefore the lupus cells attack the skin cells. Some medications and vaccines have been known to cause flares in lupus patients also. Despite all the research being done in this area a specific virus or bacteria has never been brought forth as the main cause of the disease.
Another characteristic of Lupus is apoptosis or "cell suicide". Apoptosis is a normal cell function and in people without lupus does not cause any problems. However in lupus patients this happens in excessive amount especially in B and T cells. In normal bodies the cells have a way of discarding the old cells remains, but in lupus the system seems to be broken. This creates a double problem with the extra cell remains and with no way to get rid of them. This causes the auto antibodies to attack the remains that are left over because they don't recognize the material as their own. The material that comes from the apoptotic cells in people with lupus is abnormal, especially the DNA fragments. Some of these fragments have methyl groups that control gene activity. In people with lupus these immune complexes are undermethylated. These fragments can affect the B lymphocytes as they mature which cause them to attack these strands. In short the mechanisms that are supposed to ensure self vs. non-self recognition go wrong.
The problem lies mostly on these B cells which function as the antibody-secreting agent. They bind themselves to foreign agents in order to destroy them. What leads these B cells astray are the signaling devices called T cells. If there is a slight imbalance in these sensors then the B cells are likely to be confused and attack its own body. Lupus is also 10 times more likely in women and than men and develops earlier in their life. This is because women tend to produce more immune fighting agents then men. Estrogen can make to body create more lymphocytes than needed which can impair self tolerance.
There are currently drugs that treat lupus, but they work by weakening the immune system as a whole. The current drug research is to create drugs that prevent autoimmune bodies without disabling the body’s entire immune system. One method that the drug researchers are exploring is finding a way to mimic the shut off molecule that tells the body that danger has passed and it can stop making antibodies. Another method that has been explored is impeding the work between B and T cells, therefore making them unable to create the antibodies. Testing in mice with disease was positive; however human testing has been inconclusive.
In order to find a cure for lupus or how to prevent it, scientists need to answer some tough questions. Such as, what causes lupus and how much wrong signaling actually leads to this autoimmunity? Hopefully they will be able to answer these in the very near future.

I found this article very interesting because prior to reading it I didn't know anything about lupus. I also didn't know much about autoimmune diseases. I think it is interesting that the body can attack itself and destroy itself from the inside out. I also found this article interesting because I would like to be a pharmacist and in this article discusses what they test to figure out what the drugs need to do. It's amazing how they can create drugs to treat a specific detail in a cell. Maybe they will have a better drug to help lupus patients by the time I'm behind the counter.

taming lupus