title: Oestrogen receptor beta ligand: a novel treatment to enhance endogenous functional remyelination.
abstract: Demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, are characterized by inflammatory demyelination and neurodegeneration of the central nervous system. Therapeutic strategies that induce effective neuroprotection and enhance intrinsic repair mechanisms are central goals for future therapy of multiple sclerosis. Oestrogens and oestrogen receptor ligands are promising treatments to prevent multiple sclerosis-induced neurodegeneration. In the present study we investigated the capacity of oestrogen receptor β ligand treatment to affect callosal axon demyelination and stimulate endogenous myelination in chronic experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis using electrophysiology, electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry and tract-tracing methods. Oestrogen receptor β ligand treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice prevented both histopathological and functional abnormalities of callosal axons despite the presence of inflammation. Specifically, there were fewer demyelinated, damaged axons and more myelinated axons with intact nodes of Ranvier in oestrogen receptor β ligand-treated mice. In addition, oestrogen receptor β ligand treatment caused an increase in mature oligodendrocyte numbers, a significant increase in myelin sheath thickness and axon transport. Functional analysis of callosal axon conduction showed a significant improvement in compound action potential amplitudes, latency and in axon refractoriness. These findings show a direct neuroprotective effect of oestrogen receptor β ligand treatment on oligodendrocyte differentiation, myelination and axon conduction during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
authors.affiliation: Multiple Sclerosis Program at UCLA, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, 635 Charles E Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1769, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mangiardi
authors.forename: Bingbing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Rhusheet
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Sienmi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Michael V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Sofroniew
authors.forename: Rhonda R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Voskuhl
authors.forename: Seema K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Tiwari-Woodruff
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004594:Electrophysiology; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000819:agonists*; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta