inflammation

Using rituximab to prevent multiple sclerosis (MS) in people at risk or in patients still without motor symptoms, and continuing treatment as the disease develops, may be a promising way to avoid inflammation and myelin loss in the brain, a study in mice suggests. In an animal model of MS,…

Vitamin D 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…

Changing the gut’s microbial community (microbiota) with antibiotics prevented the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), but not its progression after the disease was established, data from a mouse model of the disease show. These findings support evidence that microbiota manipulations affect inflammatory immune responses involved in MS development, but…

A study from Spain found the diet of 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…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have lower than usual levels of molecules called bile acids circulating in their blood, a  study found. These molecules, produced in the liver to aid fat absorption in the gut, also appear to block inflammation and nerve cell damage in the brain. Oral treatment with …

A short-chain fatty acid produced by gut bacteria helps to counteract inflammatory responses in multiple sclerosis (MS) by promoting greater numbers of regulatory immune cells, a study reports. But the bacterial composition of the gut (its microbiome) of MS patients is deficient in bacteria that produce this acid —…

A signaling molecule of the immune system called interleukin 13 (IL-13) may modulate the function of key immune cells involved in multiple sclerosis (MS), and their migration through the barrier that protects the brain and spinal cord. IL-13 is an “attractive molecule” and a potential avenue for treating MS,…

Ozanimod — an investigational oral therapy up for approval to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) — lowers the number of white blood cells circulating in the blood, supporting its ability to ease inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. But this treatment also does not affect all…

Immune system cells can either trigger or suppress inflammation by controlling mitochondrial respiration — the process that occurs in mitochondria, the cells’ powerhouses, and results in the production of usable energy by cells — according to a recent study. This discovery raises the possibility that…

Using brain tissue from people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and mouse models of MS, scientists identified a key pathway that drives astrocytes to promote inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. The study, “MAFG-driven astrocytes promote CNS inflammation” published in the journal Nature, uncovered potential therapeutic targets that may be…

Immune cells have an inflammation ‘switch’ that involves the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, and targeting it may prevent or even reverse the chronic inflammation seen in diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) and in conditions associated with aging, an early study suggests. …

Changing a person’s diet to reduce the amount of methionine (amino acid found in food) could delay the development and progression of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). That finding was described in the study “…

Harvard professor and scientist Francisco Quintana, PhD, has been awarded the 2019 Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research for his work in understanding what causes multiple sclerosis (MS), and how to stop its development. Quintana has developed innovative research programs that use cutting-edge technology to help…

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a patent to Endonovo Therapeutics for Application No. 15/549,748, which covers the company’s technique and device for electromagnetic treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Endonovo has a pipeline of “Electroceuticals” — wearable, electronic, non-invasive therapeutic devices. These devices…

Only 347 shopping days to go! So don’t dismiss this as a column about last Christmas (though that’s what it is!) but as possibly the first on the planet about the next one. Luckily, I quite like nut roast. But it is very much “quite” like. I don’t like it…

Probiotics show potential to prevent and delay the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) by changing immune and inflammatory responses, according to a review study. Data further support the link between the gut’s microbial community (microbiota) and the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), and neurodegenerative diseases. However, large-scale clinical…

Regeneration in the brain is reduced in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), but enhanced during disease activity in those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), a study reports. The results also show that regeneration is unaffected by treatment with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), as shown by the levels…

Processes related to metabolism in brain cells known as astrocytes may be at the origin of multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly underlying the inflammation and damage to the nervous system seen in progressive disease, a study in mice found.

A signaling protein (Smad7) that usually blocks the activity of a molecule called transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) appears to be overactive in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), leading to the activation and migration of immune cells from the intestine to the central nervous system, a study reports. The study,…

A protein involved in cell metabolism, called PKM2, was found to be central to switching ‘on’ immune cells that play critical roles in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), an early study reports. Blocking the activity of PKM2 (pyruvate kinase M2) eased MS-like symptoms…

Long-term treatment with interferon beta (IFN-beta) corrects the defective immune balance characteristic of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study has found. The study also identified more than 200 genes with significantly different activity between complete and partial responders to IFN-beta treatment, which could be used to identify which…

Blocking production of the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) — involved in inflammatory and immune responses — specifically in myelin repair cells halts neuroinflammation and promotes myelin repair, a preclinical study shows. These results, from two mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), shed light on the underlying mechanisms…

Careful profiling of inflammatory markers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of multiple sclerosis patients, coupled with standard exams and scans, helps in understanding disease evolution and treatment response, a case report suggests. It followed a relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patient whose inflammatory markers in the CSF remained high over time, and…

Editor’s note: This is the third story in a three-part report examining the question “Should vitamin D supplements be recommended for MS patients?”, which was a topic discussed at this year’s Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). Here, we take an in-depth…

Brain inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) hijacks immature myelin repair cells, not only preventing myelin restoration but also promoting sustained inflammation and immune attacks against myelin, a preclinical study shows.

The complexity in underlying mechanisms, a lack of representative research models, and inconsistent criteria defining therapeutic benefit are the main reasons why an effective therapy for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) is still lacking, researchers maintain in a review study. Nevertheless, as research continues to shed light on…

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…

Obesity, altered lipid (fat) levels, and elevated leptin — an hormone produced by fat cells — 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…

The pro-inflammatory protein interleukin-17 (IL-17) drives inflammation by promoting a chemical modification, called phosphorylation, in the RNA molecule of the regnase-1 enzyme, a mouse study shows. These findings support the development of therapeutics that block the phosphorylation of regnase-1 to halt IL-17-mediated inflammation, as seen in multiple…

Reactivation of ancient viruses incorporated into the human genome in the course of evolution may be involved in the acute inflammatory response that is characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study says. The findings of the study, “Expression of endogenous retroviruses reflects increased usage of atypical enhancers in…