Fatty acids ‘could be a new treatment target for arthritis and leukaemia’

A new study has indicated that certain enzymes linked to diabetes and obesity could also be targeted for the treatment of arthritis and leukaemia.

Conducted by the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, the research used genetically engineered mice to reveal that the same enzymes that convert carbohydrates into fatty acids also influence the health of specialised white blood cells called neutrophils.

Neutrophils are a hallmark of inflammation, a key component of rheumatoid arthritis, and are also common in patients with leukaemia. Mice that were unable to make the enzymes needed to produce a certain type of fat developed low white blood cell counts with very few neutrophils.

As such, the team believes that targeting ether lipids could be a potentially useful way to reduce the number of neutrophils in inflammatory diseases and leukaemia.

Senior investigator Clay Semenkovich said: "If we could reduce the activity of these enzymes without eliminating them entirely, it could lower the levels of ether lipids and potentially help patients with leukemia and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis."

In the UK, around ten million people have arthritis, while approximately 2,600 people are diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia every year.