Study may lead to new treatment of gastroparesis
January 12th, 2010 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
Very low doses of inhaled carbon monoxide has been shown to reverse a serious digestive condition in diabetic mice, a finding that could give hope to millions of sufferers of diabetic gastroparesis. The findings are based on a study conducted by researchers with the Mayo Clinic and presented at last year’s Digestive Disease Week gathering.
“This is a significant finding, as it shows that loss of the enzyme that makes carbon monoxide is the actor in this process and that it provides us with a clear approach toward a possible new therapy for this condition,” says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist and lead investigator on the study, in a Science Daily report.
Gastroparesis is a serious condition that causes pain, nausea, vomiting, stomach spasms, weight loss and nutritional deficiencies. It is usually treated through diet, medication or surgery. Treatments are often unreliable or not recommended for long-term use. Finding a way to reverse the condition would give hope to millions of people who are suffering from the effects of gastroparesis.
As part of the study, researchers studied 10 mice that exhibited delayed gastric emptying. Five were given carbon monoxide by inhalation (100 parts per million) for six hours daily. Within three weeks, gastroparesis was reversed in the mice who received the therapy. While the metabolite that normalizes gastric functioning was not known, using carbon monoxide to treat the mice was a hunch on the part of scientists based on previous studies by the team that showed that gastroparesis is associated with the loss of up-regulation of the heme oxygenase-1 (HO1) and an increase in oxidative stress. In the previous study, the team noted that when they induced HO1 production signs of oxidative stress dropped and gastroparesis was restored.