Topical Drugs Ability to Help Replace Brain Cells Lost From Multiple Sclerosis

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Link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150420111357.htm

 The highly informative journal article written in Science Daily involves a team of scientists utilizing a new discovery approach to identify drugs which possess the capability of activating mouse  brain stem cells. Fascinatingly the two topical drugs, Miconazole and Clobetasol; one is used to treat athletes foot and the other is used to treat eczema, were discovered to be able to stimulate the regeneration of damaged brain cells and reverse the effects of muscular paralysis in animal models of multiple sclerosis. As a result, the team of scientists believe that the two topical drugs could potentially be utilized in the future to effectively treat individuals afflicted with multiple sclerosis. The researchers’ objective was to identify drugs that could reproduce the body’s own stem cells as a means of replacing the damaged cells caused by multiple sclerosis.

 The drugs discovered,could potentially rebuild damaged brain cells caused by multiple sclerosis. The multiple sclerosis disease involves the damaging of immune cells and the destruction of protective myelin around nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The two topical drugs have the ability to stimulate the body’s own stem cells as a means of formulating new myelin. A representative of the national center for regenerative medicine, Tesar discovered a method of reproducing large amounts of a special type of stem cell known as oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) which are typically found throughout the brain and spinal cord. As a result of this finding, Tesar and his team of scientists began testing different drugs in order to identify which drugs could stimulate the OPC’s as a means of generating new myelin. This led them to discover that the topical medications of Miconazole and Clobetasol possessed a capability of stimulating OPC’s as a means of formulating novel myelin. The scientists conducted an experiment involving exposing the two topical medications of Miconazole and Clobetasol to lab mice suffering from a multiple sclerosis-like disease which caused the OPC’s within the brain and spinal cord of the mice to rebuild new myelin. As a result, the damaged brain cells in the mice began to reformulate which helped effectively treat the mice after suffering from the debilitating symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis.
 
Scientists need to now identify methods on how to make the two topical medications work for internal use, determine the medications long term effects, and any potential side effects before individuals suffering from multiple sclerosis can benefit from the treatment. As a result, scientists estimate that the two topical medications will not be able to be effectively utilized to treat patients suffering from multiple sclerosis for several more years but when the topical drugs are approved, they will create a huge advancement in regenerating damaged and lost brain cells in individuals’ afflicted with multiple sclerosis disorder. Additionally, researchers exposed the two topical medications to damaged human stem cells and found out that the medication helped to rebuild new myelin and regenerate the brain cells, which contributes to one of the many reasons we need for more human research trials to be performed in the future. Scientific researchers are now planning to enhance their understanding as to why these two topical medications work to formulate new myelin as a means of modifying the drugs in order to increase their effectiveness in treating individuals afflicted with multiple sclerosis disorder. The two topical medications of Miconazole and Clobetasol can also be utilized to treat several problematic disorders involved in myelin depletion which include cerebral palsy, dementia, and schizophrenia.


 Upon reading this article, I felt extremely satisfied that leading scientists are conducting research on methods to help rebuild myelin and regenerate brain cells that are destroyed or damaged in individuals afflicted with multiple sclerosis disorder. I strongly believe that multiple sclerosis disorder is one of the worst motor neuron deficient disorders because I learned in the class lecture on movement, that due to multiple sclerosis destroying protective myelin around nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, the neural signals within the brain experience severe disruptions in their transmissions along nerves. As a result, this causes devastating permanent effects on the brain’s ability to initiate movements over time and it also causes individuals to have severe motor functioning difficulties on a permanent basis. I really connected to this article and the research findings because I recently learned about multiple sclerosis in the movement chapter so I have a good understanding on the dangerous demyelination process involving the slowing down or elimination of neural impulses which causes an overall reduction in speed and reduction in strength of movements in individuals afflicted with multiple sclerosis disorder. As a result, I really support the research and scientific work that Dr. Tesar and the national center for regenerative medicine are conducting. I strongly feel that more government funding should be given to this scientific research because I feel that further extensive research will allow scientists to figure out how to transform the two topical medications to function for internal use in human multiple sclerosis.

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