Fort Lauderdale, FL, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A recent review article describes how compounds called specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) may be a viable treatment for inflammatory lung conditions, acute respiratory distress syndrome and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as shown in preclinical settings.
The article, Specialized Proresolving Mediators in Infection and Lung Injury, by Dr. Shayna Sandhaus and Dr. Andrew G. Swick, was published in November in Biofactors, a journal of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. It looked at SPM’s effectiveness across a wide range of animal models.
“Specialized pro-resolving mediators, or SPMs, control the inflammation resolution process,” explained study co-author Dr. Andrew G. Swick, Chief Scientific Officer at Life Extension®. “Basically, these compounds help tissue return to a healthy state. This is important because chronic inflammation is best managed by both limiting inflammation in the first place and promoting the resolution of that inflammation after it occurs.”
Your body makes SPMs out of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, like you’d find in fish oil. But SPMs work differently than traditional omega-3s in that they help to resolve inflammation (instead of preventing it, the way anti-inflammatory drugs do, or, to a lesser extent, EPA and DHA fatty acids from fish oil). Inflammation is an issue with all diseases, including lung disease and respiratory infections, so learning how to resolve inflammation is a discovery that could not have come at a more opportune moment.
“SPMs have shown tremendous potential for treating infectious diseases and lung conditions,” Dr. Shayna Sandhaus, co-author of the article, explained. “Administering SPMs in preclinical studies has led to infection clearance, resolution of lung inflammation, and improved survival rates.”
SPMs have additional benefits as well; these specialized pro-resolving mediators can be used to treat a wide variety of ailments associated with chronic inflammation, the study confirmed, such as periodontitis (gum disease), sepsis, tuberculosis and even bacterial pneumonia. “We believe SPMs could prove to be a useful tool for managing many inflammatory conditions,” Dr. Sandhaus said.
For more information on SPMs, please read our recent Life Extension Magazine® article.
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