Neutrophils are an important type of white blood cell that help your immune system fight infections. One of the many ways neutrophils help is by capturing germs in sticky, spider web-like structures called neutrophil extracellular traps, or NETs. However, excessive formation of NETs is seen in many autoimmune diseases as a sign of exuberant inflammation.
In the autoimmune disease known as , this inflammation causes , strokes and miscarriages. Antiphospholipid syndrome is usually treated with that patients take for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, blood thinning medicines don't prevent future blood clots in all patients with the disease.
Blood thinners also have important side effects to be aware of, such as major bleeding. Patients with antiphospholipid syndrome need better treatments, especially ones with fewer side effects. One promising approach is to target and NETs.
A research team at University of Michigan Health led by Ajay Tambralli, M.D., a clinical assistant professor in both adult and pediatric rheumatology, is investigating how metabolism—the process by which cells turn sugars, fats and proteins into energy—is used to make NETs.
They're also using this knowledge to develop treatments based on metabolism to lower the propensity of neutrophils to make NETs in APS. The work is in the . The team's study found neutrophils from antiphospholipid syndrome patients use a metabolic process called glycolysis more aggressively than neutrophils from healthy people.
.