RE: TH1/TH2

[Guest guest]

I found this article while learning more about glutathione. It is

interesting to me as I understood that the accepted medical theory is that

ms was considered a TH1 dominant disease. Personally I might have been

dominant one way a few years ago and think I have gone the opposite way now

so instead of supplements to calm my system I need supplements to rebuild my

system. Anyway. I find progesterone to be very helpful with my symptoms and

believe that it stops attacks and I have also benefited from glutathione.

This article would support my theory.

ne

Altern Med Rev. 2003 Aug;8(3):223-46

Th1/Th2 balance: the hypothesis, its limitations, and implications for

health and disease.

Kidd P.

One theory of immune regulation involves homeostasis between T-helper 1

(Th1) and T-helper 2 (Th2) activity. The Th1/Th2 hypothesis arose from 1986

research suggesting mouse T-helper cells expressed differing cytokine

patterns. This hypothesis was adapted to human immunity, with Th1- and

Th2-helper cells directing different immune response pathways. Th1 cells

drive the type-1 pathway ( " cellular immunity " ) to fight viruses and other

intracellular pathogens, eliminate cancerous cells, and stimulate

delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) skin reactions. Th2 cells drive the

type-2 pathway ( " humoral immunity " ) and up-regulate antibody production to

fight extracellular organisms; type 2 dominance is credited with tolerance

of xenografts and of the fetus during pregnancy. Overactivation of either

pattern can cause disease, and either pathway can down-regulate the other.

But the hypothesis has major inconsistencies; human cytokine activities

rarely fall into exclusive pro-Th1 or -Th2 patterns. The non-helper

regulatory T cells, or the antigen-presenting cells (APC), likely influence

immunity in a manner comparable to Th1 and Th2 cells. Many diseases

previously classified as Th1 or Th2 dominant fail to meet the set criteria.

Experimentally, Th1 polarization is readily transformed to Th2 dominance

through depletion of intracellular glutathione, and vice versa. Mercury

depletes glutathione and polarizes toward Th2 dominance. Several nutrients

and hormones measurably influence Th1/Th2 balance, including plant

sterols/sterolins, melatonin, probiotics, progesterone, and the minerals

selenium and zinc. The long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic

acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) significantly benefit diverse

inflammatory and autoimmune conditions without any specific Th1/Th2 effect.

Th1/Th2-based immunotherapies, e.g., T-cell receptor (TCR) peptides and

interleukin-4 (IL-4) injections, have produced mixed results to date.