A research team from University of Cambridge claims to have
found the way the body’s immune system detects cat allergen, which has raised
hopes of new treatments being developed.
The study behind this announcement was recently published in
the peer-reviewed Journal of Immunology. The purpose of the study was to look
at how cat dander (tiny skin particles from cats) affects the so-called
TLR4-signalling on the LPS protein on a molecular level. The key findings
indicated that cat dander firstly binds to the bacterial surface of LPS, which
is recognised by TLR4. Then, once it is recognised, a signalling cascade will
commence, which will ultimately result in an immune response. In order for this
to occur, there also has to be a protein called MD2. MD2 binds LPS to TLR4.
As the purpose of the study was to establish a series of
events at a molecular level that are necessary for the immune system to be
activated, the researchers did two types of analyses. Initially they included
cat dander but excluded MD2, which led to a small increase in TLR4 signalling.
This indicated that cat dander on its own would not be sufficient to create an
allergic response. Then the researchers added MD2, which led to a 16 fold
increase in TLR4 signalling. This suggested that both cat dander and MD2 are
needed for an allergic response to occur.
Based on this, the researchers stated that they had solid
data to support further trials with treatments that use TLR4 antagonists to
prevent LPS binding to TLR4.
The findings from the current study are
certainly intriguing and could open up the possibility for new treatments being
developed and marketed in the near future. We are aware of trials that are
currently looking at the efficacy of treatments with TLR4 antagonists; however
they are still in very early stages. It is our hope that the current trials
prove fruitful and that it leads to new avenues for treatment and research.