Inflammation spread from joint to joint by ATP

[my little penguin]

Specific ATP Type Critical to Inflammatory Spread in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Scientists have discovered that adenosine triphosphate (ATP) secreted from sensory neuron-interneuron crosstalk is key to the spreading of inflammation across joints, acting as a neurotransmitter and inflammation enhancer. Their study suggests that blockade of this neural pathway, which is named...

www.genengnews.com

Neural circuits between lesions are one mechanism through which local inflammation spreads to remote positions. Here, we show the inflammatory signal on one side of the joint is spread to the other side via sensory neuron–interneuron crosstalk, with ATP at the core,” write the investigators.

“Surgical ablation or pharmacological inhibition of this neural pathway prevented inflammation development on the other side. Mechanistic analysis showed that ATP serves as both a neurotransmitter and an inflammation enhancer, thus acting as an intermediary between the local inflammation and neural pathway that induces inflammation on the other side.

“These results suggest blockade of this neural pathway, which is named the remote inflammation gateway reflex, may have therapeutic value for inflammatory diseases, particularly those, such as rheumatoid arthritis, in which inflammation spreads to remote positions.”