Enzyme may help curb inflammation.

Researchers have discovered a potential method to help treat inflammatory forms of arthritis by using an enzyme naturally produced by the human body. Neutral endopeptidase (NEP) could reduce some of the condition's effects, according to Patrick Ward, professor of physiology, Ohio State University, Columbus.

NEP works to control the levels of certain peptides, such as bradykinin, that have been linked to joint inflammation found in arthritis patients. Peptides--short chains of amino acids--can produce inflammatory-type reactions, such as pain and increased blood flow, associated with tissue breakdown. In healthy individuals, NEP is one of the enzymes which controls the effects of such peptides.

Ward and his colleagues tested synovial fluid from the joints of three patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers then...