Potential Candidate Identified to Promote Remyelination for Multiple Sclerosis

This article originally appeared on The American Journal of Managed Care.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the brain and spinal cord that attacks and destroys the myelin sheath, leading to demyelination and neurodegeneration. A recent study analyzed the role of purinergic receptor P2X4 (P2X4R) in microglia/macrophages during autoimmune inflammation, finding that P2X4Rs modulate microglia/macrophage inflammatory responses and identify allosteric modulator ivermectin (IVM) as a potential candidate to promote the repair of myelin damage.

The study,

published by EMBO Molecular Medicine,

explained how microglia survey the brain microenvironment for signals of injury or infection; understanding these mechanisms of microglia responses during pathology are important for promoting regenerative responses. The researchers were able to identify the receptor P2X4 present in the microglial cells that increases the antiinflammatory potential and encourages the body’s own repair responses.

“Innate immune cells contribute to axonal damage and demyelination in MS but they are also pivotal in promoting repair responses. Modulating microglia/macrophage P2X4R activation determines clinical outcome in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of MS,” the study stated.

The experiment was conducted using animal models of the disease, which revealed that the drugs that activate the P2X4R receptor also improve the symptoms during the chronic phase of the disease when continuing the repair of nervous tissue.

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The American Journal of Managed Care.

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