NanoStilbene Better Than Copaxone at Reducing MS Symptoms in Mouse Model

The nutritional supplement NanoStilbene, developed by Therapeutic Solutions International, worked better to reduce neurological damage and disease symptoms in an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS) than the market-leading MS therapy Copaxone, the company announced.

NanoStilbene is composed of easily absorbed nano-particles of pterostilbene, a compound found in blueberries that has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic properties.

“Although it is well known that various animal models of disease have shortcomings, the profound reduction of disease pathology, as well as the known anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities of pterostilbene, strongly support the continued development of NanoStilbene in the sphere of multiple sclerosis therapeutics,” J. Christopher Mizer, advisor to Therapeutic Solutions and co-inventor of the filed patent application, said in a press release.

In experiments with a mouse model of MS — called the EAE or experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model — researchers at Therapeutic Solutions and their collaborators compared the effects of NanoStilbene with Copaxone (glatiramer acetate), marketed by Teva Pharmaceutical. Copaxone is a disease-modifying therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of relapsing forms of MS. A small synthetic protein, it is administered as an injection under the skin.

These preclinical experiments, now completed, showed that treatment with NanoStilbene in EAE animals had a greater effect than Copaxone, potently inhibiting brain inflammation and reducing MS symptoms.

“I am proud of my co-inventors and our scientific team who contributed to the generation of this highly promising data, which in my opinion supports advancement into clinical trials,” said Kalina O’Connor, director of Campbell Neurosciences, the company’s immunotherapy-based suicide prevention division.

The company’s previous research has shown that NanoStilbene has several biological therapeutic effects in immunological processes related to cancer. These include the protection of the immune system against chemotherapy’s toxicity, an improved immune response in patients with advanced cancer, and the increased effectiveness of anti-cancer antibody therapy.

“It is very interesting that NanoStilbene can on the one hand stimulate positive immune responses against cancer, but on the other hand suppress harmful immune responses such as those driving the process of demyelination [loss of myelin, a hallmark of MS],” said Famela Ramos, director of business development for Therapeutic Solutions and co-inventor of the patent.

With the current positive preclinical data regarding the use of NanoStilbene in the treatment of MS, the team at Therapeutic Solutions hopes to advance nutraceutical-based approaches for immune diseases. Of note, nutraceuticals are substances that may be considered a food, or part of a food, which provide medical or health benefits.

Apart from studies with NanoStilbene, the company is also conducting a clinical trial evaluating the use of QuadraMune, a nutraceutical-based formulation that includes pterostilbene, in the treatment of COVID-19 infection.