Ascaroside treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases

1. A method of preventing or treating an IL-6- and/or IL-1β-mediated disease in a subject, comprising administering to the subject a composition comprising ascr #7 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt and/or prodrug thereof and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IL-6- and/or IL-1β-mediated disease is an autoimmune disease or an inflammatory disease.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subject has an elevated level of IL-6 and/or IL-1β.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the level of IL-6 and/or IL-10 in an affected tissue of the subject exceeds 200% of a normal level in the affected tissue.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the disease is Agammaglobulinemia, Amyloidosis, Ankylosing spondylitis, Anti-GBM/Anti-TBM nephritis, Antiphospholipid syndrome, Autoimmune hepatitis, Autoimmune inner ear disease, Atopic dermatitis, Asthma, Castleman disease, Celiac disease, Chagas disease, Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis, Cogan's syndrome, Cold agglutinin disease, CREST syndrome, Crohn's disease, Dermatomyositis, Devic's disease (neuromyelitis optica), Discoid lupus, Endometriosis, Eosinophilic esophagitis, Eosinophilic fasciitis, Evan's syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Giant cell arteritis, Giant cell myocarditis, Glomerulonephritis, Goodpasture's syndrome, Granulomatosis with polyangiitis, Graves' disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Hemolytic anemia, Henoch-Schonlein purpura, Hypogammaglobulinemia, Hypoproliferative anemia, IgA Nephropathy, Inclusion body myositis, Interstitial cystitis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Juvenile arthritis, Juvenile/Type 1 Diabetes, Juvenile myositis, Kawasaki syndrome, Lichen planus, Lichen sclerosus, Lupus (SLE), Meniere's disease, Multiple sclerosis, Myasthenia gravis, Microscopic polyangiitis, Optic neuritis, Pemphigus, Polyarteritis nodosa, Polymyalgia rheumatica, Polymyositis, Primary biliary cirrhosis, Primary sclerosing cholangitis, Psoriasis, Psoriatic arthritis, Rheumatic fever, Rheumatoid arthritis, Sarcoidosis, Sjogren's syndrome, Temporal arteritis/Giant cell arteritis, Transverse myelitis, Ulcerative colitis, Uveitis, Vasculitis, Vitiligo, Viral myocarditis, or Wegener's granulomatosis (Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA)).

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the disease is asthma.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the disease is inflammatory bowel disease.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the disease is type 1 diabetes.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the disease is not eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising administering an agent with an anti-inflammatory effect.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the agent with an anti-inflammatory effect is a corticosteroid.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the corticosteroid is selected from aldosterone, betamethasone, budesonide, corticosterone, cortisol, cortisone, dexamethasone, fluticasone, hydrocortisone, methylprednisolone, prednisolone, and prednisone.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subject is a mammal.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the mammal is a mouse or a human.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the mammal is a human.

16. A method of reducing IL-6 and/or IL-1β production from a cell, comprising contacting the cell with a composition comprising ascr #7 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt and/or prodrug thereof and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is a method of treating the IL-6- and/or IL-1β-mediated disease in the subject.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises ascr #7 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.