A University of Pittsburgh-led study identifies SYM2081 as a potential treatment for inflammatory skin conditions. The compound suppresses mast cell activity, offering new hope for conditions like rosacea and eczema.
For those suffering from rosacea, eczema and other inflammatory skin conditions, a new treatment could be on the horizon. Researchers led by the University of Pittsburgh have discovered that a compound named SYM2081 can effectively inhibit the activity of mast cells, potentially preventing the symptoms that often plague patients. Their findings, published in Science Translational Medicine, highlight the promise of this new approach.
“I’m really excited about the clinical possibilities of this research,” senior author Daniel Kaplan, a professor of dermatology and immunology at Pitt, said in a news release. “Currently, there aren’t a lot of good therapies that target mast cells, so we think that our approach could potentially have huge benefits in many skin conditions, including rosacea, eczema, urticaria and mastocytosis.”
Understanding Mast Cells
Mast cells play a dual role in the immune system. When they are functioning correctly, they can provide protection against threats like bee stings and bacterial infections.
However, when they malfunction, they can cause a host of problems, including allergic reactions, swelling and severe cases of anaphylaxis. Mast cells release histamine and other compounds during this process, known as degranulation.
In a previous study published in Cell, Kaplan’s team found that neurons in the skin release a neurotransmitter called glutamate that can suppress mast cell activity. This revelation brought new questions to the table.
“This finding led us to wonder if doing the opposite would have a beneficial effect,” Kaplan added. “If we activate the glutamate receptor, maybe we can suppress mast cell activity and inflammation.”
A New Hope With SYM2081
The recent study tackled this hypothesis by examining SYM2081, a compound also known as 4-methylglutamate that activates the GluK2 glutamate receptor, found predominantly on mast cells.
Led by Youran Zhang, a medical student at Tsinghua University who conducted this research as a visiting scholar in Kaplan’s lab, and Tina Sumpter, a research assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology at Pitt, the team demonstrated that SYM2081 effectively reduced mast cell degranulation and proliferation in both mice and human skin samples.
Applying a topical cream containing SYM2081 to mice before inducing symptoms similar to rosacea and eczema significantly mitigated skin inflammation and other disease-related symptoms.
Clinical Possibilities
According to the researchers, these findings indicate that a daily cream containing a GluK2-activating compound could be a promising preventive treatment for rosacea and other inflammatory skin conditions.
“Although there are excellent therapies available for different types of rosacea, many are antibiotic-based and they only target some of the symptoms,” Kaplan added. “There are no good therapies for flushing, so this is a significant unmet need. Our study suggests that suppressing mast cells by activating GluK2 could reduce the flushing associated with rosacea.”
Next Steps
With these promising results, the research team now aims to engineer new GluK2-activating compounds for potential clinical trials. They have already applied for a patent through the Pitt Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s Innovation Institute.
This pioneering research offers new hope for millions suffering from chronic skin conditions.
The journey from groundbreaking discovery to clinical application is long, but these findings represent a significant step forward.