A recent study led by UCLA has discovered that a hormone released during pregnancy may have the ability to reverse damage in the cortex of the brain caused by multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is an autoimmune disease that damages the protective coating called myelin surrounding nerves in the brain and spinal cord. When myelin is damaged, nerve cells are unable to communicate with each other, leading to symptoms of the disease. The study, published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, administered a pregnancy hormone called estriol to mice with a preclinical model of MS and found that it slowed down damage and generated new myelin in their brains.
Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments available to repair MS-induced damage in the brain’s cortex. Existing treatments only focus on reducing inflammation and slowing down the progression of the disease. However, this study’s findings offer hope for future treatments that can repair myelin damage and improve disabilities associated with MS.
Lead author Allan MacKenzie-Graham, an associate professor of neurology at UCLA, explains that estriol targets the cells responsible for myelin production and encourages them to produce more myelin. It also inhibits the cells that hinder myelin production. One possible reason for the success of estriol is that it mimics the natural process of myelin creation during brain development in the womb.
Dr. Mary Ann Picone, medical director of the MS Center at Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey, expressed her excitement about the study’s results. She noted that earlier studies had shown the positive effects of estriol in reducing brain inflammation, but this study revealed an even greater ability to preserve brain volume, potentially slowing down disability progression and even reversing disability.
The study also highlights the importance of personalized medicine, taking into account the biological differences between men and women. Estriol has been used to treat cognitive impairment in menopausal women, while testosterone has been used to treat MS in men. This individualized approach holds promise for finding new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.
It’s important to acknowledge the limitations of the study. It was conducted in a preclinical model using mice, so further research is needed to test these findings in human clinical trials. The safety of long-term estriol use in humans also needs to be determined. However, researchers remain optimistic about the potential of treatments that can repair myelin damage and improve disabilities caused by MS.
Nearly one million people are currently living with MS in the U.S., according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The study’s author suggests further investigation into the beneficial effects of estrogens in protecting and repairing the brain in neurodegenerative diseases, including MS and Alzheimer’s disease.
Overall, the discovery of estriol’s ability to induce repair in the cortex is seen as an exciting breakthrough, offering hope for better treatments for multiple sclerosis. With further research and personalized approaches, tailored treatments optimized for biological processes in each sex may become a reality.
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