Stomach and intestinal problems — from diarrhea to issues caused by food allergies to inflammatory bowel disease — have one common characteristic. A new study suggests an innovative way of tackling it to both prevent and treat these conditions.

New research may have opened up a promising avenue for IBD treatment and prevention strategies.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

When a person experiences stomach and intestine problems, they are referred to as Gastrointestinal or GI problems. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as well as other gastrointestinal problems, are characterized by impaired function in the intestinal epithelial barrier. The intestinal epithelial barrier is the tissue layer that prevents harmful “leakages” between the inside of intestines (intestinal lumen) and the space surrounding the intestines.  Damage of the epithelial barrier has links to disease, but it is still unclear what causes impairments in this necessary defense layer.

However there is research that has shown an enzyme called the myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) plays a key role in the maintenance of the epithelial barrier.  Scientists also think that MLCK may also have something to do with gastrointestinal inflammation – a key feature of many GI problems

The problem is that while MLCK is important to epithelial barrier function, acting on it directly to try and prevent gastrointestinal problems could have unwanted effects.

The Study

Recently researchers have come up with a new approach that may allow them to regulate MLCK and circumvent these unwanted effects.  The team found that targeting the MLCK1 version of MLCK could help prevent and treat IBD and other gastrointestinal problems.

In this new study, the scientists, first of all, aimed to identify a way in which they could safely address the issue of epithelial barrier damage. To do so, they mapped out the structure of an element called “the IgCAM3 domain,” which differentiates MLCK1 from other forms of MLCK.

Then, they searched for a molecule that could take MLCK1’s specific place without upsetting the delicate balance of the intestinal cells that line the inside of the small intestine — which normally express MLCK1.

Eventually, the researchers managed to find an appropriate molecule, which they named “Divertin” because it works by diverting MLCK1 from the spots at which it would usually act on the epithelial barrier.  When they tested Divertin in mice with both diarrhea and IBD, the scientists found that the molecule was able to prevent inflammation-related damage to the epithelial barrier without stopping MLCK from doing its maintenance work in that tissue.  Moreover, Divertin both corrected epithelial barrier dysfunction and stopped IBD from progressing further in the animal models. The molecule also worked as a method of preventing the disease from developing in the first place.

The researchers believe that these experimental findings are promising and that they could, in the future, lead the way to better strategies for both the treatment and prevention of IBD and other gastrointestinal problems.