Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information within the body and between the body and the brain. It’s characterized by muscle weakness that can lead to paralysis. Several therapies can slow down the progression of the disease, but none that can reverse neuronal damage already done by MS.
Now, researchers from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have found that a compound in the peels of apples, prunes, and some herbs may be able to reduce any further damage to the neurons and also build a protective coating around the neurons, which can reverse the damage. Co-senior study author and professor of Neuroscience at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Dr. Guang-Xian Zhang, says, “Although the evidence is preliminary - our data is from animal models of disease - it's encouraging to see a compound that both halts and repairs damage in MS, in the lab.”
Using an established mouse model of MS that mimics the way the disease progresses in humans; the researchers dosed a group of mice with ursolic acid. At day 12, the mice start to show the signs of the acute phase of MS with some partial paralysis. The acute phase is the phase where most MS medications work the best. The researchers waited until 60 days to begin treating the mice, which is a phase of the disease characterized by damage to the central nervous system.
The mice began to show improvement about 20 days after treatment. The mice who were paralyzed when the experiment began were able to walk again, although they were a bit weaker. "It's not a cure, but if we see a similar response in people, it would represent a significant change in quality of life. And most significantly, it's a reversal, which we really haven't seen before with other agents at such a late stage of disease," says Dr. Zhang.
The researchers also studied the effects of ursolic acid on the cells, noting that it suppressed Th17 cells, which are the immune cells that are responsible for the autoimmune response in MS. The researchers found that ursolic acid could activate precursor cells to become oligodendrocytes (cells that make myelin-sheath).
"This maturation effect is the most crucial," says Dr. Zhang. "Myelin-sheath-making oligodendrocytes are depleted in MS. And the stem cells that produce new oligodendrocytes are dormant and unable to mature. This compound helps activate those stem cells into making new oligodendrocytes and is likely responsible for the reversal of symptoms we saw."
The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).