Os dejo aquí el word que me enviaron de "como funciona", está todo en inglés, si necesitais traducción o algo decirlo e intento encontar un rato para hacerlo :) Es un poquito tocho, pero así os hacéis una idea de como funciona el tema.
How LTCI Works
In young individuals-animals and people- the thymus gland is the central regulatory organ for the immune system. It produces, among other things, CD4+ lymphocytes which are stem cells for the immune system. The CD4+s, in turn, produce products, cytokines (or lymphokines), which induce the production Interferon and Interleukin2.
In individuals with a normal, healthy immune system, Interferon and Interleukin2 when called upon induce the production of CD8+ lymphocytes. CD8+ lymphocytes are cytotoxic, killer cells whose role is to rid the body of viruses, bacteria, and aberrant cancer – cells. This is why in young individuals- animals and people – there is little in the way of opportunistic disease and cancer. These problems are much more common in older individuals whose thymus as involuted, whose immune system is compromised by virtue of age or overwhelming onslaught by viruses, bacteria, or malignant cells.
Mrs. a reason why elderly patients who suffer a fall, broken hip, while undergoing successful anesthesia and surgery in hospital can die – not because of direct issues with the surgery, but rather a bacterial infection that overwhelms their immune systems ability to ward off these invaders.
So in a normal individual, CD4s induce the production of Interferon plus Interleukin2 inducing the production of CD eights which are then available to go out and do what they were designed to do. When we get a splinter that starts to become infected, it is the CD8s that go to the site of the splinter and gobble up and remove the invading bacteria.
LTC I came over from the human side when they are using FIV has a model for treating HIV. At a point where the chemo cocktail started showing promise in the treatment of HIV, funding backed away from these biological approaches and Dr. Terry Beardsley, who developed the protein, brought it over to animal health and worked on and achieved conditional licensure from the USDA for LTCI. The granting of conditional licensure by the USDA is based upon the ability for the manufacturer to show the product meets five criteria: 1) safety 2) purity 3) potency, 4) reasonable expectation of efficacy 5) unmet need. To date, LTC I is the only USDA approved Immunomodulator licensed for the treatment of previously untreatable and frequently fatal diseases in cats: F ELV and FIV.
Like in people with HIV, cats do not die as a direct result of infection with FELV and/or FIV; rather, the expression of the disease is a result of the inability to fight off invading viruses, bacteria, fungi, molds, or the unchecked growth of malignant and/or benign cancer cells.
The Retroviruses are very elegant in their ability to successfully accomplish the attack on a host. In a young animal they will attack and attempt to shut down the thymus (whose main responsibility is the production of CD4+s, then CD8+s) and by targeting and establishing themselves with in the CD4+ population. Once within the CD4+ they prevent normal CD4+ maturation and the production of those critical cytokines, interferon and interleukin two, and the induction of CD8+ lymphocytes. Without the CD8+s available the individual has little or no ability to ward off this or other viruses opportunistic bacteria or two, prevent the growth and spread of aberrant cancer cells.
LTC I, in field use has been shown to be beneficial in 75 to 80% of the symptomatic animals in which it has been used. What is of even greater significance when talking about an immunocompromised population is that to date, there has been absolutely no report of any adverse events. And when we are working with a cohort that is as susceptible to anything by virtue of their expressed Immunodeficiency, this is of supreme importance. If it does not help, at least it does not hurt. Animals do not stand the risk of being in a worse situation following initiation of LTC I treatment that without. It does not help every animal, but to date, it has hurt no animal.
LTC I works by causing an apoptosis of the impaired CD4+ population – programmed cell death--which quickly, often within 72 hours, wipes out this do-nothing population of CD4+ lymphocytes. This allows that is new CD4+s are produced, their ability to mature and produce those critical cytokines – Interferon plus Interleukin2 – which in turn are able to induce the production of CD8+ lymphocytes which are once again available to go out and what they were designed to do. So when it works, LTC I results in the restoration of a functioning immune system in a previously immunocompromised animal.
With the ability to fight off bacterial or viral onslaught which may be expressed as a chronic upper respiratory infection, stomatitis, or non-healing or reoccurring bite wound, teen treatments of these problems can once again be effective.
Additionally, LTC I has the ability to normalize the often seen blood dyscrasias associated with F ELV and FIV, anemia, being the most common.
A third and until recently on recognized ability of the product is a potent anti-inflammatory effect, which often in infield use can make the patient “feel better” as these animals often do when Depo-Medrol or another steroid is used. A recent published paper describes this anti-inflammatory affect when used on canines with severe – moderate osteoarthritis.
….more to come
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