Researchers from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, have identified the biological mechanism that may explain why some people experience abdominal pain after eating certain foods. The results of the new study, described in the trade journal Nature, could pave the way for the development of new treatments to combat the syndrome ofintestine irritable and other food intolerances.
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The study on mice
deepening
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“Very often these patients are not taken seriously by doctors and the lack of an allergic response is used as” proof “of the absence of problems with their physiology. intestinal“explained Professor Guy Boeckxstaens, lead author of the new research.” With these new insights, we provide further evidence that we are dealing with a real disease.
Clinical and laboratory studies conducted by the research team in mice and humans have revealed a mechanism that links certain foods with the activation of histamine-releasing immune cells, called mast cells, and the resulting pain and discomfort. What emerged is in line with the results of a previous study also conducted by Professor Boeckxstaens, which showed that blocking histamine improves the conditions of people with irritable bowel syndrome.
A larger clinical trial is underway
In a further test conducted on mice fed with ovalbumin, a protein found in egg white that caused mast cell activation, the research team found increased histamine release and digestive intolerance, with a increased abdominal pain. The researchers, as stated on the university website, “were able to undo the series of events in the immune response that linked the ingestion of ovalbumin to mast cell activation”. A larger clinical trial is currently underway with antihistamine treatment. According to the authors of the studio, knowing the mechanism that drives mast cell activation will lead to the development of new therapies for patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.
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