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Diabetes Drug Helps Multiple Sclerosis
CHICAGO (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- [...] Now a common diabetes drug could be the latest breakthrough for MS.

Eight-month-old Mariana has just arrived from Guatemala. Her adoptive mother, Marjorie Fujara, is ready for the challenges of motherhood, but at age 41, Marjorie faces a more serious challenge. Eight years ago, doctors diagnosed Marjorie with multiple sclerosis. "It was devastating," she says. "My mother was diagnosed with MS and had a very aggressive course with hers."

Marjorie's mother died from MS after 12 years. Today, she is in a trial to test a new treatment -- a drug that is used for diabetes. Neuroscientist Douglas Feinstein, Ph.D., of University of Illinois at Chicago, says, "The relationship between type 2 diabetes and multiple sclerosis -- there probably isn't any really strong correlation, and it's just a serendipitous discovery that we came across."

The drug pioglitazone is known to type 2 diabetes patients as Actos. Lab studies with the drug for MS look encouraging. If the study results continue to show promise, pioglitazone could become the first treatment for MS taken in pill form, eliminating the need for injections.

So far, things are looking good for Marjorie. Her symptoms are not flaring up as often, and she has no side effects. "Just knowing there are people -- bright, dedicated researchers out there -- really gives me a lot of hope," she says.

This new drug trial for ms is nearly half over. Researchers at the University of Illinois expect to release the results in the spring of 2006. Researchers around the world are also testing this same drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

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If you would like more information, please contact:

Sharon Butler
Office of Public Affairs
University of Illinois at Chicago
601 South Morgan MC 288
Chicago, IL 60607-7113
(312) 355-2522

What is pioglitazones' mode of action?

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma agonists, including thiazolidinediones (TZDs) and 15-deoxy-Delta(12,14) prostaglandin J(2) (15d-PGJ(2)), have been shown to be effective in the treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). This study aimed to compare the anti-inflammatory actions of three TZDs - rosiglitazone, pioglitazone, and ciglitazone - with those of 15d-PGJ(2) on stimulated mouse microglia and astrocytes. The results show that TZDs and 15d-PGJ(2) are effective in inhibiting production of nitric oxide, the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-6, and the chemokine MCP-1 from microglia and astrocytes. However, 15d-PGJ(2) was a more potent suppressor of pro-inflammatory activity than the TZDs. These studies suggest that PPAR-gamma agonists modulate EAE, at least in part, by inhibiting the activation of microglia and astrocytes. The studies further suggest that PPAR-gamma agonists may be effective in the treatment of MS.