University of Houston researchers have found that the experimental compound CDDO (also known as bardoxolone methyl) suppresses the progression of lupus in mice, including the immune system’s attack on the kidneys.
Though CDDO is synthetic, it’s derived from oleanolic acid, a natural product found in many plants and foods including olive oil, garlic, and cloves. The scientists still need to find out how CDDO works—whether it suppresses the entire immune system, as current immunosuppressants do, or just the pathways involved in lupus. The latter would be ideal, but either way, they believe its natural origin could make CDDO a safer therapy, free of the side effects and health risks of current treatments for lupus and lupus nephritis.
Source:
Plant Extract as Possible Lupus Treatment? Findings Give New Hope, ScienceDaily, September 24, 2014