Inhibiting an oxidative stress enzyme called myeloperoxidase protects the blood-brain barrier in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), limiting the migration of immune cells and halting their attack on nerve cells, researchers have found. Disruption of the blood-brain barrier is a hallmark of various disorders, including MS, and when…

Inhibiting an oxidative stress enzyme reduced nerve cell damage and promoted the formation of new nerve cells, a multiple sclerosis study in mice showed. It also helped regenerate cells that produce the nerve cell-protecting myelin sheath, researchers said. The team used a mouse model of the progressive form of MS in…

A pilot study in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) found a steroid treatment of benefit by decreasing oxidative stress in the cerebrospinal fluid. The study, “One-time intrathecal triamcinolone acetonide application alters the redox potential in cerebrospinal fluid of progressive multiple sclerosis patients: a pilot study,” was published in the journal …

Luoxis Diagnostics, Inc. recently presented three clinical and preclinical findings that feature the company’s proprietary RedoxSYS™ Diagnostic System as a comprehensive, groundbreaking tool for research capable of assessing a patient’s oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) in the event of injury, illness, or stress. The findings were presented as peer-reviewed posters during the recently concluded …

In people with multiple sclerosis (MS), skin cells show increased amounts of cellular stress in a manner that is distinct from people without MS and from other neurological diseases, new research shows. The findings were published in the journal Aging, in the study “Signatures of cell…

Probiotics may improve the health of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) by reducing disability and improving inflammatory and metabolic parameters, an Iranian study shows. Live microorganisms linked to health benefits, known as probiotics, have long been known to help chronic disease patients. In a previous study of people with major depressive disorder, probiotics treatment for eight weeks improved patients’ depression and metabolic parameters. More recently, authors investigated the impact of probiotics on a group of MS patients, looking not only at mental health and metabolic indicators, but also disability scores. Researchers at Tehran's Shahid Beheshti Hospital recruited 60 MS patients, divided them in half, and assigned 30 to take a probiotic capsule and 30 a placebo once a day for 12 weeks. The probiotic contained the healthy bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus fermentum. Researchers measured patients’ health parameters and disability scores at baseline and after treatment. The results showed that probiotic intake after 12 weeks improved MS patients' disability scores (assessed by the expanded disability status scale, EDSS) when compared to placebo controls. Although this improvement was statistically significant, it was not clinically significant — which is defined as a change of 1.0 point or more at EDSS levels less than 5.5, or 0.5 point or more at EDSS levels greater than 5.5). Moreover, benefits were also detected in several mental health parameters – Beck Depression Inventory, general health questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), depression anxiety and stress scale. Consuming probiotic capsules also significantly decreased insulin levels and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in circulation, researchers also found. It also lowered certain markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, such as serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and malondialdehyde (MDA).

A potential treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), arsenic trioxide (ATO) has been patented in the European Union based on findings in preclinical studies. Notice of an intent to grant patent EP18722530, titled “Method for treating relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis using arsenic trioxide,” was given by the European Patent…

Vitamin D supplements were associated with less severe disease in a rat model of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), but male rats tended to experience greater benefits than did females, a study into disease-related sex differences reports. This higher overall benefit may be due to nerve cells in males being…

Taking a two-month supplement of crocin, an antioxidant found in the cooking spice saffron, helped to reduce signs of inflammation in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who took part in a small study in Iran. However, crocin had no effect on symptoms of depression or anxiety compared with a…

The European Commission (EC) has withdrawn its marketing authorizations for generic versions of Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), an oral therapy approved in Europe for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). According to Biogen, which developed and markets the brand-name medication, the decision ensures Biogen will have full data and marketing protection…

Treatment with essential oils derived from green tea or pumpkin reduced brain damage in a rat model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. The oils also helped to restore the abnormal levels of neurotransmitters — chemical messengers that nerve cells use to communicate — and reduce markers…

A commercial probiotic supplement containing the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii significantly eased pain and fatigue, and improved mental health and quality of life, in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to data from a clinical trial in Iran. The probiotic, BioDigest, also reduced inflammation and oxidative stress, a form…

More activity among certain immune cells, as well as differences in immune signaling molecules, iron regulation, and fat metabolism, may explain why multiple sclerosis (MS) progresses more over time in some people than in others, researchers report. These findings may help to better understand the molecular mechanisms leading to…

An anti-inflammatory diet combined with synbiotic supplements eased fatigue, pain, sexual dysfunction, and bladder and bowel problems in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a small clinical trial. Synbiotics contain probiotics, healthy bacteria for the gut, and prebiotics, or plant fibers that feed probiotics and help…

Vitamin D reduced the signs of inflammation and nerve damage in a rat model of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. Low levels of the vitamin have been extensively linked with a higher risk of developing relapsing forms of the disease, but studies of vitamin D supplementation in…

A blood-clotting protein called fibrin can activate immune cells in the brain and contribute to inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study revealed. Because blood vessels become leaky in neurodegenerative conditions like MS, the blood can cross into the brain, which is known to activate multiple pro-inflammatory…

Disease-associated inflammatory activity of microglia — a type of immune cell with a central role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) — is driven in part by molecular mechanisms that are activated when microglia try to clear the corpses of dead myelin-making cells. That’s according to a new…

A detailed examination of nerve tissue isolated from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed changes to the myelin sheath before the appearance of substantial inflammatory activity and lesions, a study reported. In MS patients, normal-appearing brain regions showed a less compact, detached, and disorganized myelin composition that may make…

Changes in mitochondria — cells’ energy production centers — are evident in early disease stages in a mouse model of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), but were not found in a model of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to researchers. These changes, seen before symptoms of the disease started, were…

Supplementation with coconut oil and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea extract, in combination with a Mediterranean-style diet, was associated with improvements in balance and gait in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Those were the findings of a small pilot study in Spain, which also found that all participants,…

A dietary supplement called Neuroaspis plp10 significantly lowered relapse rates and slowed disability progression among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) on interferon beta medications, according to a small clinical trial in Greece. “The results of this study suggest that Neuroaspis plp10 may offer greater benefit to patients with RRMS…

CNM-Au8, Clene Nanomedicine’s experimental oral therapy, safely and effectively improves vision and neurological function in adults with stable relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and disease-related visual impairment. Those are the findings of the VISIONARY-MS Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT03536559), a proof-of-concept study that investigated CNM-Au8 in people with…

Stem Cell Transplant Found to Reduce MS Relapses, Ease Disability This is excellent news for those of us who would like to see stem cell transplant for MS become more available and affordable. These researchers analyzed 50 studies covering a total of 4,831 people with MS, ages 26 to…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have significantly higher and potentially damaging blood levels of zinc and a greater activity of the superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme than is evident in people without MS or similar diseases, a study reported. SOD is an enzyme that requires zinc to function properly, including…

Biogen has secured a new patent in Europe covering the use of its oral therapy Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) for multiple sclerosis (MS) through 2028, the company announced. Granted by the European Patent Office, patent EP2653873 covers the composition and use of dimethyl fumarate at a dose of 480…

Women who were exposed to sexual or emotional abuse as children may be at an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life, according to a large study in Norway. The risk was even higher among patients who experienced a combination of two or more types of abuse in…

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will grant Medsenic a patent covering the use of Arscimed, its investigational formulation of arsenic trioxide, for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Once issued, the patent will protect Arscimed’s use for this indication until 2037. This will add to the already…

Landos Biopharma has entered into a research partnership with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine focused on advancing LABP-66 as a potential oral, once-daily therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other disorders, the company announced. LABP-66 is a lab-made molecule that activates NLRX1, a receptor that is key in…

Multivitamin supplements reduce fatigue and improve quality of life in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new study reports. After 70 days of continuous use, patients taking multivitamin supplements containing vitamins A, B-complex, C, and D improved their blood antioxidant status and experienced up to a 34% reduction…

Low levels of serum neurofilament light chains (sNfL) prior to treatment predicts an optimal response to Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and reduced immune cell overactivity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a study reports. The investigators noted the…