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University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Health scientists discover that treating a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) with estriol reverses the breakdown of myelin in the cortex of the brain. The research is published in Laboratory Investigation.
MS – what causes it and why is it difficult to treat?
The neurological disorder MS is characterized by demyelination of nerve fibers in the central nervous system (CNS) by the immune system.
Myelin is an insulative coating that surrounds nerve fibers and supports the transmission of electrochemical signals from one nerve to another. Loss of myelin inhibits the nervous system’s communicative abilities, leading to both physical and psychological symptoms.
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Patients diagnosed with MS typically experience one of two pathways of disease progression: relapsing remitting MS – where symptoms present as attacks that worsen each time – or a gradual decline in function over time. Atrophy of the brain’s cortex is associated with a permanent worsening of the condition.
While the exact cause of MS remains to be determined, research has suggested roles for genetic mutations, infection by the Epstein-Barr virus and stress as potential contributors. Without a comprehensive understanding of why MS happens, treating the disease can prove challenging. Current disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) modulate the peripheral immune system to prevent relapses, but treatments that target the underlying pathophysiology, either triggering remyelination or reverse demyelination, are desperately sought after.
Pregnancy and protection in MS patients
Pregnancy appears to serve a protective function in MS patients, with UCLA Health scientists previously discovering that estriol, a type of hormone released during pregnancy, reduces brain atrophy and improves cognitive function in patients. A new UCLA Health study, led by Associate Professor Allan Mackenzie-Graham, tested the effects of estriol in a mouse model of MS. “We used in vivo MRI to investigate whether cortical atrophy during chronic EAE could be affected by treatment with estriol at a dose that induces a pregnancy level in serum,” the researchers write. EAE, which stands for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, is used as an animal model of autoimmune inflammatory diseases of the CNS, and presents like MS.