Over-the-Counter Arthritis Drug Might Also Help Against MS, Jefferson Neuroscientists Find

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Over-the-Counter Arthritis Drug Might Also Help Against MS, Jefferson

Neuroscientists Find



Glucosamine, the over-the counter natural product that has been

touted to help with joint and cartilage problems associated with

arthritis, may also provide some relief to individuals with multiple

sclerosis (MS), a degenerative, nervous system disease with no known

cure.

Using a mouse model of MS, neurologists at Jefferson Medical College

found that doses of glucosamine similar to those taken for

osteoarthritis dramatically delayed the onset of symptoms and

improved the animals’ ability to move and walk.

The scientists, led by A. M. Rostami, M.D., Ph.D., professor and

chair of the Department of Neurology at Jefferson Medical College of

Jefferson University and the Jefferson Hospital for

Neuroscience in Philadelphia, and Guang-Xian Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.,

assistant professor of neurology at Jefferson Medical College, say

the treatment’s anti-inflammatory effects may be useful in

conjunction with more mainstream therapies such as beta-interferon in

helping patients with MS to delay or perhaps stave off some of the

debilitating effects of the disease. They report their findings in

the December 1, 2005 of The Journal of Immunology.

“It would be fantastic if glucosamine works in humans because we

have a product that has a long track record for safety, and most

importantly, can be given orally,†says Dr. Rostami, who is also

director of the Neuroimmunology Laboratory in the Department of

Neurology at Jefferson Medical College. He notes that current

treatments for MS are given by injection. He hopes to test

glucosamine in clinical trials in the near future.

MS, one of the most common neurological diseases affecting young

adults, is thought to be an autoimmune disease (in which the body

attacks its own tissue) affecting the central nervous system (CNS).

In MS, the myelin coating of nerve fibers becomes inflamed and

scarred. As a result, “messages†cannot be sent through the

nervous system.

Dr. Rostami and his group used an animal model of MS called

experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), which mimics the

human disease, to investigate glucosamine’s potential immune system-

suppressing properties. Such animals gradually develop the disease.

In the studies, some of the mice received glucosamine, while others

did not.

They gave glucosamine to the mice three ways: orally,

intraperitoneally and intravenously. They also tested the drug in one

set of animals before the onset of symptoms, and in another group at

the time the animals began to show symptoms.

In each case, the researchers showed they could significantly prolong

the onset of disease. That is, those animals that got glucosamine

took longer to get ill and once they became ill, the disease was much

less severe. It was just as effective when given early in the disease

or when the animals became sick.

They examined the animals’ spinal cords and found less inflammation

and “demyelination†in those that were given glucosamine.

“As a therapy, it might be used in combination with other proven

treatments, such as beta-interferon and copaxone,†says Dr. Rostami.

The research team has some ideas of how glucosamine exerts its

effects. According to Dr. Rostami, EAE and MS are caused by abnormal

responses from the immune system’s T cells. There are two types:

TH1, which promotes inflammation, and TH2, which is anti-

inflammatory. “We’ve shown the glucosamine modulates the immune

response by producing more TH2 responses, suppressing brain

inflammation,†he says. “At the same time, it suppresses TH1

response.â€

The researchers currently are testing the effectiveness of

combinations of glucosamine and standard drugs for MS in the same

mouse model to look for adverse effects. They are also trying to find

out if glucosamine can suppress the relapses in the relapsing/

remitting form of the disease.

Relapsing/remitting is the most common form of MS. Patients

experience clearly defined “flare-ups,†acute episodes in which

neurological functions worsen, followed by partial or complete

recovery periods.

Over 400,000 Americans acknowledge having MS; however, many

neurologists believe that nearly one million Americans are living

with MS in the United States today. Symptoms can include fatigue,

loss of coordination, muscle weakness, numbness, inability to walk or

use hands and arms, pain, vision problems, slurred speech, decline in

the ability to think and reason, and bladder/bowel dysfunction.

http://www.jeffersonhospital.org/news/2005/article11567.html