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There has recently been a lot of talk about Fire Ants being used to fight psoriasis.
Emory and Case Western scientists have said Solenopsins are the main toxic components of fire ant venom. They chemically resemble ceramides, which are lipid-like molecules which have reduced skin thickening and inflammation in a mouse model of psoriasis.
The scientists devised two solenopsin analogs that look like ceramides, but can't be degraded into S1P. They then tested them in a mouse model of psoriasis, applying the compounds in a one percent skin cream for 28 days.
The mice treated with solenopsin analogs displayed decreases in skin thickness compared with controls (about 30 percent). The treated mice also had fewer (around 50 percent less) immune cells infiltrating the skin. When applied to immune cells in culture, the compounds decreased the cells' production of the inflammatory signal IL-22 and increased production of anti-inflammatory IL-12.
More test are needed especially to assess their toxicity and it could be a long way off before it's in use, so don't go putting Fire Ants on your psoriasis.
*This information is taken from various sources. Thank you to Kezz for the original article but I couldn't publish it.
*Funding: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and Atlanta Clinical & Translational Science Institute.
Emory and Case Western scientists have said Solenopsins are the main toxic components of fire ant venom. They chemically resemble ceramides, which are lipid-like molecules which have reduced skin thickening and inflammation in a mouse model of psoriasis.
The scientists devised two solenopsin analogs that look like ceramides, but can't be degraded into S1P. They then tested them in a mouse model of psoriasis, applying the compounds in a one percent skin cream for 28 days.
The mice treated with solenopsin analogs displayed decreases in skin thickness compared with controls (about 30 percent). The treated mice also had fewer (around 50 percent less) immune cells infiltrating the skin. When applied to immune cells in culture, the compounds decreased the cells' production of the inflammatory signal IL-22 and increased production of anti-inflammatory IL-12.
More test are needed especially to assess their toxicity and it could be a long way off before it's in use, so don't go putting Fire Ants on your psoriasis.
*This information is taken from various sources. Thank you to Kezz for the original article but I couldn't publish it.
*Funding: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and Atlanta Clinical & Translational Science Institute.