| 摘要 |
Treatments are disclosed for various types of inflammatory, autoimmune, or other disorders characterized by excessive calprotectin, a protein that normally defends against microbial infections by sequestering available zinc at a site of infection. Capprotectin overactivity, leading to zinc deficiencies in localized tissues, can create or aggravate some autoimmune and/or inflammatory disorders, but efforts to provide systemic (oral) zinc supplements activate offsetting mechanisms and are ineffective. Therefore, targeted treatments are disclosed herein for suppresing and controlling excessive calprotectin activity in local tissues. Such methods include targeted injections of zinc solutions, and plasmapheresis treatment. Screening tests are also described for identifying non-protein drugs that can either (i) bind specifically to the zinc-binding sites of calprotectin, or (ii) suppress the release of calprotectin by neutrophil cells.
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