According to Professor Bo Li of the US-based Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), "It is a very serious syndrome."
"Most people with cancer die of 'cachexia' rather than cancer. And once the patient enters this stage, there is no way to go back because there is essentially no treatment," he said in a study published in the journal. Nature Communications magazine.
Li and other researchers on the team found that blocking IL-6 from binding to neurons in a part of the brain called the area postrema (AP) prevents cachexia in mice.
As a result, the mice live longer with healthier brain function.
"Future drugs targeting these neurons could help make cancer cachexia a treatable disease," the researchers suggested.
In healthy patients, 'IL-6' plays a vital role in the natural immune response. Molecules circulate throughout the body. When they encounter a possible threat, they alert the brain to coordinate a response.
According to researchers, cancer disrupts this process when too much IL-6 is produced and begins to bind to AP neurons in the brain.
"That has several consequences. One is that both animals and humans will stop eating. Another is that there will be this response that leads to wasting syndrome," Li said.
The team took a two-pronged approach to keep elevated levels of IL-6 out of the brain in mice. Their first strategy neutralized IL-6 with custom antibodies. The second used CRISPR to reduce the levels of IL-6 receptors in AP neurons. Both tactics produced the same results: they stopped losing weight and lived longer, the study noted.
"The brain is so powerful at regulating the peripheral system. Simply changing a small number of neurons in the brain has a profound effect on the physiology of the entire body. I knew there was an interaction between tumors and brain function, but not to this point." " Li said.
"Most people with cancer die of 'cachexia' rather than cancer. And once the patient enters this stage, there is no way to go back because there is essentially no treatment," he said in a study published in the journal. Nature Communications magazine.
Li and other researchers on the team found that blocking IL-6 from binding to neurons in a part of the brain called the area postrema (AP) prevents cachexia in mice.
As a result, the mice live longer with healthier brain function.
"Future drugs targeting these neurons could help make cancer cachexia a treatable disease," the researchers suggested.
In healthy patients, 'IL-6' plays a vital role in the natural immune response. Molecules circulate throughout the body. When they encounter a possible threat, they alert the brain to coordinate a response.
According to researchers, cancer disrupts this process when too much IL-6 is produced and begins to bind to AP neurons in the brain.
"That has several consequences. One is that both animals and humans will stop eating. Another is that there will be this response that leads to wasting syndrome," Li said.
The team took a two-pronged approach to keep elevated levels of IL-6 out of the brain in mice. Their first strategy neutralized IL-6 with custom antibodies. The second used CRISPR to reduce the levels of IL-6 receptors in AP neurons. Both tactics produced the same results: they stopped losing weight and lived longer, the study noted.
"The brain is so powerful at regulating the peripheral system. Simply changing a small number of neurons in the brain has a profound effect on the physiology of the entire body. I knew there was an interaction between tumors and brain function, but not to this point." " Li said.
