HMBG1 - Putting the brakes on inflammation

[Marco]

Acute inflammation in response to infection, injury etc is 'a good thing'. Chronic inflammation - not so good.

HMGB1 (high mobility group box 1) protein is interesting. It appears to be a master regulator of the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, can also be induced by psychological stress and acts directly on microglia. It acts as the 'accelerator' for inflammation.

So what is the brake? Mung beans and green tea? - Really?

Turn Off the Cytokine Switch

In a remarkable series of discoveries, scientists have uncovered the main biochemical "switch" that turns on many of the chronic diseases of aging

http://www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?libid=20902

 

[rosie26]

Thanks Marco. This is really interesting. I thought there was something significant in this. Whenever I eat mung beans my appetite increases and I feel a good surge of energy or that 'feel good factor'. I mainly have decreased appetite with my ME. I think this will be on my weekly shopping list permanently now As for the green tea - I still can't abide the taste of it, even after many attempts over the years.

 

[Thinktank]

Life Extension produces a product called "cytokine Suppress". The goal of the supplement is to suppress HMGB1 with mung bean extract (vitaxin/isovitexin) and ECGC.

http://www.iherb.com/Life-Extension-Cytokine-Suppress-with-EGCG-30-Veggie-Caps/55653

 

[Hip]

For anyone trying green tea, note that EGCG in green tea has an anti-folate action: EGCG inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), which converts dihydrofolate and folic acid into tetrahydrofolate. So you may want to supplement with active folate (L-methylfolate) if you take a lot of EGCG.

DHFR also recycles BH2 back to BH4 (tetrahydrobiopterin).

 

[Jesse2233]

Has anyone else tried this?