Can Someone Scientific Share Their Thoughts on This Article?

[Serenity]

Hi – This article just came out today on all the med websites. Halofuginone is the compound and it is not currently approved for RA so I do not think we can get it.  However, you can buy Hydrangea root extract as a supplement.  Any thoughts on whether the supplement may be helpful?  I like the idea of targeting RA in a different way to complement minocycline, but how different is the compound from the actual herb?  Where can one go to get more information on this?  I'll bring the article to Dr. F to see if he has thoughts about this but wasn't sure if anyone else knows more.  Thanks!! 🙂

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Chinese Herb May Treat Autoimmune Diseases Study Shows Herb From Hydrangea Root Targets Specific Immune Responses By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD June 4, 2009 — A drug derived from an herb used in Chinese medicine for 2,000 years is the first to target specific cells that are overactive in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and other autoimmune diseases.
The ancient herb is chang shan, from the root of the blue evergreen hydrangea. It's been used in Chinese medicine to reduce fever and fight malaria.
More recently, halofuginone was found to reduce skin collagen and was tested as a possible treatment for scleroderma. But until now, nobody knew how the drug worked.
That may be because the drug's target — a specific kind of immune cell called a Th17 cell — was identified only in 2006. But now Harvard Medical School researchers Mark S. Sundrud, PhD, Anjana Rao, PhD, and colleagues show that halofuginone does indeed inhibit Th17 cells.
That's important, because Th17 cells regulate autoimmune inflammatory responses. That's the kind of immune response that goes haywire in a wide range of diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, eczema, and psoriasis.
“Halofuginone may herald a revolution in the treatment of certain types of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases,” Rao says in a news release.
Why? Current drugs for autoimmune diseases take a sledgehammer approach. They smash down many different immune responses, leaving patients vulnerable to infections and cancers.
A drug that can specifically inhibit one type of immune response would be a major breakthrough. Halofuginone may turn out to be such a drug.
“This is really the first description of a small molecule that interferes with autoimmune pathology but is not a general immune suppressant,” Sundrud says in the news release.
An added bonus: Halofuginone could probably be taken orally, rather than by injection.
Yet the findings by Sundrud and Rao are based only on mouse studies. They must be refined and confirmed in humans before any actual drug is developed.
Sundrud and Rao report their findings in the June 5 issue of Science.

[richie]

Hi

Halofuginone was really talked up in the year 2000 —there were trials in the UK and it also received orphan status from the FDA —I assume it didnt get anywheres cause 9 years later the drums are being beaten again with no drug ever being brought to market in the previous 9 years !!!!!Richie

[SusanSD]

Serenity,
     If the science is based on mouse studies, it will take awhile to get through FDA approval, with drug companies investing in clinical trials with humans.
     I understand you want to try it, but my question is “what kind of hyndrangea does the the hydrangea root extract come from?” If it's not the blue evergreen Hydrangea, I would think twice about trying it out. There are many kinds of hydrangea.
     Best,
     Susan

[Joe M]

[user=330]Serenity[/user] wrote:

Chinese Herb May Treat Autoimmune Diseases
Current drugs for autoimmune diseases take a sledgehammer approach. They smash down many different immune responses, leaving patients vulnerable to infections and cancers.
A drug that can specifically inhibit one type of immune response would be a major breakthrough. Halofuginone may turn out to be such a drug.
“This is really the first description of a small molecule that interferes with autoimmune pathology but is not a general immune suppressant,” Sundrud says in the news release.
An added bonus: Halofuginone could probably be taken orally, rather than by injection.

I'm not in any way a scientist, but I do question the “sledgehammer” comment in the article. While it may be true of the older drugs like Methotrexate and prednisone, biologics (Enbrel, Humira, etc) are much different because they target only one (Th1) of the thousands (millions?) of proteins used by the immune system. 

I also had the same question as you Serenity, why can't you just eat it, if it is an herb?  Maybe it is because the herb has some undesirable properties or side effects that must be removed before it can be ingested.

Thanks for posting this article. 

[richie]

Hi Joe-

dont think the eating the herb is a good analogy –we dont eat moldy bread to get our penicillin !!! LOL

richie

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