Searching for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment in a New Light

A vital contributor to the hyperactive autoimmune response and neuroinflammation that are the hallmarks of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been identified. Blocking this lynchpin in a research model of MS alleviated the harmful inflammation, giving researchers a prime target in their efforts to develop new treatments for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. The research was conducted at the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Department of Neuroscience and its Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG).

Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis affects nearly a million Americans. Symptoms can include muscle spasms, stiffness, weakness, difficulty moving, depression, pain, and more. There is no cure, so treatments focus on helping patients manage their symptoms, control flare-ups, and slow the progression of the disease.

Scientists have struggled to understand the causes of MS, but recent research suggests an important role for the gut microbiome. UVA’s new findings bolster the idea that an immune system controller found in barrier tissues such as the intestine plays a vital role in the disease.

This regulator can reprogram the gut microbiome to promote harmful, chronic inflammation. Researchers blocked the activity of the regulator, called “aryl hydrocarbon receptor,” in immune cells called T cells and found that doing so had a dramatic effect on the production of bile acids and other metabolites in the microbiomes of lab mice.

Multiple Sclerosis Discovery Could End Disease’s Chronic Inflammation

These findings suggest that doctors may one day be able to take a similar approach to interrupt the harmful inflammation in people with MS, though that will take much more research. Before that can happen, scientists will need a much better understanding of the interactions between the immune system and the microbiome.

Though, the new research lays an important foundation for future efforts to target the microbiome to reduce the inflammation responsible for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases.

Due to the complexity of the gut flora, probiotics are difficult to use clinically. This receptor can easily be targeted with medications, so we may have found a more reliable route to promote a healthy gut microbiome.

Ultimately, fine-tuning the immune response using the microbiome could save patients from dealing with the harsh side effects of immunosuppressant drugs. This initiative aims to expand the understanding of the microbiome to better treat and prevent disease.

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Source-Eurekalert