Diabetes medicine in the fight against multiple sclerosis

A clinical study of the possibility of using the drug pioglitazone (commercial name – Actos), used in type 2 diabetes, for the treatment of multiple sclerosis with a relapsing-remitting course, has been completed at the Medical College of Chicago at the University of Illinois. A small group of patients (21 people) undergoing treatment for multiple sclerosis was divided into two parts, which received, along with the usual course of therapy, pioglitazone or placebo.

At the initial stage, all patients underwent standard neurological tests and MRI scans to assess the level of nerve tissue damage. Patients underwent a general examination, including a blood test, every two months, and were subjected to MRI scans 5 and 12 months after the start of the study.

In patients receiving pioglitazone, gray matter losses were significantly less than in those receiving placebo; no negative effect of the drug was detected.

Pioglitazone was chosen by researchers among other drugs of the same group due to the fact that its intake has an anti-inflammatory effect. During preliminary studies, scientists on cell culture have shown that pioglitazone reduces the amount of toxic cytokines and reactive oxygen species produced by cells – molecules that play a role in the development of multiple sclerosis. The positive effect of taking the drug was also demonstrated in mice in which multiple sclerosis was simulated. An important result of this study was the disappearance of clinical signs of the disease, which were observed in mice before taking pioglitazone.

Currently, scientists are working on explaining the protective effect of the drug on nerve tissues and are planning more extensive tests that will confirm the results obtained and allow it to be used for more effective treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on Newswise: Diabetes Drug Shows Promise Against Multiple Sclerosis29.05.2009