Growth factor treatment of demyelinating disease: at last, a leap into the light.
Researchers seeking treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) have long dreamed of using neurotrophic factors to enhance remyelination. Previous attempts to apply trophic support for oligodendrocytes in experimental demyelination uniformly produced complicated outcomes that reflected unexpected effects on immune or inflammatory responses and could be interpreted only with caution. Now, two recent publications have demonstrated convincingly that cytokines of the interleukin (IL)-6 superfamily can ameliorate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and promote oligodendrocyte survival, without demonstrable effect on inflammation or immune responses.
Ransohoff
Richard M
RM
Depts of Neurosciences and Nerology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, OH 44195, USA. ransohr@ccf.org
Howe
Charles L
CL
Rodriguez
Moses
M
D000818:Animals; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology
D006133:Growth Substances; D015850:Interleukin-6