索尔克生物研究所Janelle S. Ayres团队的一项最新研究显示，膳食蛋氨酸通过增强肾细胞因子的清除来减轻免疫介导的损伤。该项研究成果发表在2026年1月22日出版的《细胞—代谢》上。

通过在小鼠中感染假结核耶尔森菌，课题组研究人员证明了膳食中补充蛋氨酸可以防止细胞因子介导的厌食症、消耗、血脑屏障功能障碍和致死率，而不会损害微生物的杀灭。蛋氨酸及其代谢物S-腺苷蛋氨酸（SAM）激活肾脏mTORC1信号，促进肾脏生长，增强肾小球滤过功能。这使得尿从循环中清除促炎细胞因子，限制它们的系统性积累和由此导致的疾病和致命。这项工作揭示了肾脏在感染期间控制全身细胞因子反应中未被重视的作用。它还表明，以代谢信号为目标的营养干预可以减轻免疫防御的有害权衡，为减少感染相关成本（包括死亡）提供潜在的治疗途径。

据悉，免疫系统可以抵御病原体，但也可以通过过量的细胞因子和趋化因子产生来介导组织损伤、能量消耗甚至死亡。由于抗菌素反应是宿主防御所必需的，宿主已经进化出合作防御来减轻免疫的成本。

附：英文原文

Title: Dietary methionine mitigates immune-mediated damage by enhancing renal clearance of cytokines

Author: Katia Troha, Shrikaar Kambhampati, Arianna Insenga, Christian M. Metallo, Janelle S. Ayres

Issue&Volume: 2026-01-22

Abstract: The immune system defends against pathogens but can also cause tissue damage, energetic costs, and even death through excessive cytokine and chemokine production. Because antimicrobial responses are necessary for host defense, hosts have evolved cooperative defenses to mitigate the costs of immunity. Using Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection in mice, we demonstrate that dietary methionine supplementation protects against cytokine-mediated anorexia, wasting, blood-brain barrier dysfunction, and lethality without impairing microbial killing. Methionine and its metabolite S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) activate renal mTORC1 signaling, promoting renal growth and enhanced glomerular filtration function. This enables urinary clearance of pro-inflammatory cytokines from the circulation, limiting their systemic accumulation and the resulting sickness and lethality. This work reveals an unappreciated role for the kidneys in controlling systemic cytokine responses during infection. It also suggests that nutrient-based interventions targeting metabolic signaling can mitigate the harmful trade-offs of immune defense, offering potential therapeutic avenues to reduce infection-related costs, including death.

DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2025.12.011

Source: https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/abstract/S1550-4131(25)00542-X