July 8, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Levels of Certain Inflammatory Proteins May Predict Risk of Relapse Levels of certain inflammatory proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid, the liquid around the brain and spinal cord, may help predict the risk of relapse activity for individuals with early multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study found. High levels of three such proteins were predictive of a greater risk of…
May 20, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Early Study Supports Nanoparticle Delivery of LIF Protein to Brain LIF, aĀ protein with anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, can be successfully delivered to immune cells in the brain using a nanoparticle formulation, and partially reverses induced paralysis in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a proof-of-concept study has found. These findings validate LIF-loaded nanoparticles as…
May 6, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD COVID-19 Infection Not Severe in PPMS Patient on Ocrevus, Case Report Finds COVID-19 infection in a multiple sclerosis (MS) patient being treated withĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) ā an immunosuppressive therapy ā was not associated with any serious complications, a case study reports. This finding supports current suggestions that immunosuppressive therapies, by dampening immune and inflammatory responses, may help to protect…
April 14, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Researchers Shed Light on Anti-inflammatory Effects of Vitamin D Supplements in MS Vitamin DĀ supplements promote a shift toward an anti-inflammatory state in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) through an increase of two key molecules, IL-27 and TGF-beta 1, a study shows. These findings add another level of regulation to a previous model linking the intake of vitamin…
April 2, 2020 News by David Melamed, PhD Diets of MS Patients in Spain Seen to Favor Fats, Proteins and Inflammation A study from Spain found the diet ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to contain more fat and protein, and fewer carbohydrates, than recommended, which was linked to abdominal weight gain and higher levels of inflammation. As “an excessive intake of lipids” is known to be “related to oxidative stress…
August 21, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Immune System Molecule IL-17A Likely Inflammatory Agent in RRMS, Study Says Interleukin-17A (IL-17A), a molecule that mediates immune and inflammatory responses, likely promotes inflammation and tissue damage in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and should be considered a potential target for treating the disease, a study reports. The findings of the study, “IL-17A is associated with the breakdown of the…
June 7, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Obesity, Altered Fat Levels May Worsen Severity of RRMS, Study Found Obesity, altered lipid (fat) levels, and elevated leptin ā an hormone produced by fat cells ā may contribute to neuroinflammation, and worse disease severity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), research has found. A study with the findings, titled “Obesity worsens central inflammation and disability in multiple…
November 12, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Controlling B-cell Numbers, Activity Key to Preventing Inflammation in MS, Study Suggests Appropriate control of immune B-cell numbers and activation in the nervous system is key to preventing inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study. These findings also showed that patients with higher levels of a specific B-cell-regulating cell type had less disease activity. The study, ā…
February 20, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Low-dose Naltrexone Changes Levels of Inflammatory Proteins in MS, Study Shows Inhibition of the neuroactiveĀ opioid growth factor (OGF) alters the blood levels of important pro- and anti-inflammatory proteins in mice with multiple sclerosis (MS)-like disease. The recognition of this regulatory response may represent a new way to monitor disease progression and treatment response in MS. These findings were reported in a study published in the journalĀ Experimental Biology and Medicine, titled āModulation of the OGFāOGFr pathway alters cytokine profiles in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis.ā The study was led byĀ researchers at Penn State University. Understanding the underlying mechanisms involved in MS and finding ways to tackle them is crucial for improving early diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, and patient care. For many years, researchersĀ atĀ Penn StateĀ have been focused on understanding the benefits of low-dose naltrexone and its relation with OGF in health and disease, including MS. Naltrexone is marketed with the brand name ReVia, among others. This drug is used routinely off-label to treat MS and other autoimmune diseases, as it has demonstrated toĀ it can reduce fatigue, lessen pain, and confer a general feeling of well-being to patients. Its mode of action is not fully understood, but it is known to block the interaction of the neuroactive OGF with its receptor OGFr. In addition, low-dose naltrexone and OGF were shown to prevent the proliferation of active immune cells in mice with MS-like disease. To further evaluate the role of OGF and low-dose naltrexone in MS, researchers treated mice with naltrexone and analyzed its impact on blood levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory signaling proteins (cytokines). Results showed that after 10 days, MS mice had increased levels in seven out of 10 tested cytokines. Treatment with OGF or low-dose naltrexone was found to specifically increase the levels of the pro-inflammatory IL-6 cytokine, and significantly reduce the levels of anti-inflammatory IL-10 protein. Two other pro-inflammatory proteins, TNF-Ī± and IFN-Ī³, also were found to be increased in MS mice compared to healthy animals. While TNF-Ī± levels were unaltered upon OGF or low-dose naltrexone treatment, IFN-Ī³ was reduced at 10 days, but still present at higher-than-normal levels after 20 days of therapy. To validate its findings, the team analyzed the levels of the identified signaling proteins in blood samples collected from 14 MS patients and eight non-MS volunteers. Six MS patients were undergoing treatment with Copaxone (glatiramer acetate), and four of them had relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). Four other RRMS patients and one primary progressive MS (PPMS) patient were receiving Copaxone plus low-dose naltrexone; three RRMS patients were receiving low-dose naltrexone alone. The analysis revealed that IL-10 serum values were comparable between non-MS controls and all MS patients on low-dose naltrexone alone, or Copaxone alone. Patients treated with both Copaxone and naltrexone presented a broad range of IL-10 serum values āthat were significantly different from MS subjects receiving LDN [low-dose naltrexone] only,ā the researchers wrote. In contrast, IL-6 cytokine was found to be significantly elevated in MS patients treated only with Copaxone compared to patients receiving low-dose naltrexone alone or together with Copaxone. āThese data suggest that IL-6, a pro-inflammatory marker is very responsive to OGF and LDN therapy, and thus may be involved in other mechanistic pathways associated with the OGF-OGFr axis,ā the researchers wrote. "Identification of inflammatory cytokines that have expression profiles mediated by OGF or LDN [low-dose naltrexone] therapy increase our panel of potential biomarkers for MS,ā Patricia McLaughlin, PhD, said in a press release. McLaughlin is professor of neural and behavioral sciences at Penn State, and senior author of the study. āWe hope that continued research will identify more specific cytokines and allow us to assemble a reliable panel of minimally invasive biomarkers related to the etiology and progression of MS," she added. Additional long-term human and mouse studies are needed to further evaluate if IL-6 and IL-10 are āappropriate markers to monitor progression of MS,ā the researchers emphasized. Still, the team believes this study demonstrates that at least IL-6, IL-10, TNF-Ī±, and IFN-Ī³, together with OGF, can be useful biomarkers to monitor MS. "McLaughlin and colleagues have researched OGF signaling for several decades, and this seminal discovery of dysregulation in OGF expression in MS patients, and animal models, is very exciting and could lead to prognostic biomarkers for this autoimmune disorder," concluded Steven R. Goodman, PhD, editor-in-chief of the journal in which the study was published.
February 9, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Component of Traditional Medicinal Herb Improves Symptoms in MS Mouse Model, Study Shows Paeoniflorin (PF), a herb component used in Chinese medicine, improved symptoms and reduced inflammation in a mouse model that recapitulates the human features of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, āPaeoniflorin Ameliorates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis via Inhibition of Dendritic Cell Function and Th17 Cell Differentiationā, appearedĀ in the journal…
December 6, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Study Detailing New Way T-cells Attack Myelin May Explain Why Some MS Therapies Fail In a new and possibly important insight into the workings of the immune system, researchers discovered what it takes for T-cells to start targeting myelin sheets in multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings may also explain why some drugs fail to prevent autoimmunity in MS. The study, āTrans-presentation…