FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pregnancy hormone key to repairing
nerve cell damage
New research offers hope for treatment of multiple sclerosis and other
neurological disorders
Calgary, February 20, 2007 - The mystery of why multiple sclerosis
(MS) tends to go into remission while women are pregnant may
be the secret to overcoming the devastating neurodegenerative
disease, according to
University of Calgary researchers who have shown that a pregnancy-related
hormone is responsible for rebuilding the protective coating
around nerve cells. The study was partially funded by the MS
Society of Canada.
In a paper to be published in the February 21 issue of The Journal
of Neuroscience, a team of researchers from the U of C’s Faculty of
Medicine reports that a study conducted on mice found that the hormone
prolactin encourages the spontaneous production of myelin, the fatty substance
that coats nerve cells and plays a critical role in transmitting messages
in the central nervous system. A collaboration between the laboratories
of Drs. Samuel Weiss and V. Wee Yong of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute,
the study is the first to determine that prolactin, which increases in
the body during pregnancy, is directly responsible for the formation of
new myelin in the brains and spinal cords of pregnant mice. Further, when
non-pregnant mice with MS-like lesions were injected with prolactin, their
myelin was also repaired.
The research was based on evidence that MS, which is more common in women
than men, goes into remission when women become pregnant. MS is a neurodegenerative
disease where the body’s own immune system attacks the myelin surrounding
nerves, leading to progressive loss of sensation and movement. MS affects
approximately 2.5 million people worldwide and Canadians have one of the
highest rates of the disease in the world.
“It is thought that during pregnancy, women’s immune systems
no longer destroyed the myelin,” said Weiss, director of the Hotchkiss
Brain Institute and senior author of the study. “However, no previous
study has tested whether pregnancy actually results in the production
of new myelin, which may lead to improvement of symptoms.” The paper’s
findings represent the first example of a natural, biological mechanism
that produces new myelin in the adult brain and spinal cord and identifies
prolactin as a potential therapeutic substance for future testing in people
with MS.
“Agents promoting remyelination will be beneficial not only for
typical demyelinating diseases like MS,” says Dr. Fred (Rusty) Gage,
of the Salk Institute, “but also for many other neurological disorders,
such as spinal cord injuries and stroke.” Gage, an international
leader in nervous system repair, was not involved in this study.
Subsequent tests of prolactin in animal models of MS will be required
before testing of prolactin on humans can take place, but MS researchers
are hopeful human trials can take place within the next several years.
“This discovery has the potential to take MS therapy a step further
than current treatments that stabilize the disease in its early stages.
By promoting repair, which is the goal of prolactin therapy, we have hope
of actually improving symptoms in people with MS,” says Dr. Luanne
Metz, director of the Calgary MS Clinic in the Department of Clinical
Neurosciences, University of Calgary and Calgary Health Region.
“The results of this study should be well received by people living
with MS today,” said Dr. William McIlroy, national medical advisor
for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. “It represents a new
insight of how we might be able to reverse some of the effects of the
disease and improve the quality of life for those who live under its influence.”
The study, authored by Weiss, Christopher Gregg, Viktor Shikar, Peter
Larsen, Gloria Mak, Andrew Chojnacki and Yong, compared pregnant and virgin
female mice of the same age and found that pregnant mice had twice as
many myelin-producing cells, called oligodendrocytes, and continued to
generate new ones during pregnancy. By chemically destroying myelin around
nerve cells, the researchers found that pregnant mice had twice as much
new myelin two weeks following the damage as virgin mice and that introducing
prolactin mimicked the effects of pregnancy on myelin production and repair
in mice that weren’t pregnant.
The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and
the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, with the support of the Alberta
Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and the Stem Cell Network.
The journal article “White matter plasticity and enhanced remyelination
in the maternal CNS” will be published in the February 21 issue
of The Journal of Neuroscience. The journal is published by the
Society for Neuroscience, an organization of more than 36,500
basic scientists and clinicians who
study the brain and nervous system.
About Multiple sclerosis and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease
of the brain and spinal cord. It is the most common neurological
disease of young adults in Canada. Most people with MS are
diagnosed between the ages of 15-40, and the unpredictable effects of
MS last
for the
rest of their lives. The MS Society provides services to
people with MS and their families and funds research to find the cause
and cure.
About the Hotchkiss Brain Institute
The Hotchkiss Brain Institute, established by the University
of Calgary and the Calgary Health Region, is dedicated to
neurological and mental health research and education, leading to new
discoveries
and their translation into improved patient care. It is the
first research institute of its kind in Western Canada.
About the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary
The UofC's Faculty of Medicine is a national leader in health
research with an international reputation for excellence
and innovation in health care research, education and delivery. Through
its
educational
programs, the Faculty of Medicine trains the physicians and
scientists who will lead the next generation of health practitioners.
Through its
clinical work, continuing medical education programs, and
close relationship with the Calgary Health Region, the Faculty of Medicine
moves
new treatments
and diagnostic techniques from the laboratory bench to the
hospital bedside efficiently and effectively, improving patient
care.
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Media contacts:
Stewart Wong
National Manager, Media Relations
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
Phone: 416-967-3025
Cell: 416-575-3025
stewart.wong@mssociety.ca
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Grady Semmens
Media Relations Advisor – Research
University of Calgary
Phone: (403) 220-7722
Cell: (403) 651-2515
gsemmens@ucalgary.ca
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