Progenitor cells against multiple sclerosis
Italian scientists from the University of Milan and the San Rafael Research Institute, working under the guidance of Dr. Gianvito Martino, claim that with the help of stem cells isolated from the skin of mice, they managed to reduce the severity of damage to the nervous system in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.
Modern methods of treating multiple sclerosis are aimed at reducing the damaging effect exerted by the immune system on the brain and spinal cord. However, they are ineffective in the progressive stages of the disease, when extensive damage occurs to the protective myelin sheath of nerve fibers and the nerve fibers themselves. Therefore, the main purpose of the research conducted in this field is to develop methods for restoring the functions of the damaged nervous system.
The authors of the study reprogrammed mouse skin cells into pluripotent stem cells, which were subsequently differentiated into nerve progenitor cells and injected into the spinal cord of mice with simulated multiple sclerosis (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis). The result of this procedure was to reduce the severity of inflammation and prevent further destruction of the preserved myelin. Moreover, the transplanted cells stimulated the production of new myelin by their own oligodendrocytes (auxiliary cells of nervous tissue). Further experiments showed that the protective effect of the transplanted cells was due to the signal protein secreted by them, known as leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). This cytokine improves survival, as well as the ability to differentiate and synthesize myelin of both mature oligodendrocytes and their precursors.
Dr. Martino believes that the observations made by his group open up new therapeutic possibilities for the treatment of multiple sclerosis by directly affecting damage to the myelin sheath and preserved myelin-producing cells. It is obvious that clinical trials are still very far away, but the authors are working in this direction.
The article by Cecilia Laterza et al. iPSC-derived neural precursors exert a neuroprotective role in immune-mediated demyelination via the secret of LIF is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society:
Researchers from Italy Report that Skin Tissue May Hold Promise for Treating Multiple Sclerosis.
31.10.2013