This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Nothing really new here, just confirmation of what has been said before on this site,

Dom.


Uric acid and spinal cord injury treatment
A novel approach from Rutgers holds potential for central nervous system damage

NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Uric acid is commonly associated with the excruciatingly painful joint disease known as gout, but it can also play a crucial role in the treatment of spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease, according to Rutgers' Bonnie Firestein.

Firestein, an associate professor of cell biology and neuroscience at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and her laboratory team have reported their discovery in the Early View (online in advance of print) version of the journal Glia.

"In spinal cord injury, as well as stroke, two kinds of damage can occur," Firestein explained. "First there is the physical damage, but this is followed by secondary chemical damage to neurons [nerve cells] by compounds released in response to the trauma. We have found that uric acid can promote an early intervention step in combating this chemical damage through its action on astroglial cells."

Astroglial cells or astrocytes are specialized cells that support neuron function with nutrients and protective buffering.

In addition to the scientific achievement, the research study is a model for student involvement and education. Among the co-authors, postdoctoral associate Yangzhou Du is teaching Firestein more about astroglial cells, while he is learning about neurons from her. Christopher Chen was a Henry Rutgers Honors undergraduate student on the study, and Yuval Eisenberg, a laboratory technician; both now attend medical school. Another student, Chia-Yi Tseng is continuing her graduate studies in Firestein's laboratory.

Uric acid's effects on the health of neurons had been observed by other researchers, but the mechanics of how it confers protection has remained a mystery.

"It is interesting to note that people with gout never seem to develop multiple sclerosis," Firestein said. "In animal models of multiple sclerosis, the addition of uric acid reduces symptoms and improves prognosis. The same is true for one type of Parkinson's disease tested."

The Firestein team's breakthrough studies revealed that uric acid can stimulate astroglial cells to produce transporter proteins that carry harmful compounds away from neurons in jeopardy of chemical damage. This opens the door to identifying a unique drug target for new therapies.

Glutamate is a compound that under normal circumstances aids neurons in transmitting signals for cognitive functions in the brain, such as learning and memory. In the case of spinal cord injury or stroke where there is physical cell damage, however, an excess of glutamate is released and it accumulates around the remaining intact neurons, eventually choking them to death.

When Firestein's group added uric acid to a mixed culture of rat spinal cord neurons and astroglial cells, the production of the glutamate transporter EAAT-1 increased markedly. The challenge now is find the most effective strategy for increasing the production of the transporter, using drug therapies or other means.

Firestein said that a collaborative team of colleagues from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Rochester Medical Center has devised one such strategy. With this team, Firestein will develop a line of stem cells that has been modified to generate astrocytes that produce large quantities of the EAAT-1 transporter. Adding these to an injury site, either alone or in combination with uric acid, holds great potential, she said.
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The study was supported by a grant from the New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research.

070103-1 Firestein Uric Acid BF.email.ed

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to reiterate am working on getting my uric acid level up through dietary changes. original baseline test result 194 (a very average/typical MS patient number). will keep you posted. more detail about uric acid at its http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uric_acid page.

You know, this reminds of my dog's injury. (Before you laugh, hear me out!) I have a dachshound and they are prone to ruptured discs that will often leave them paralized. I had just read an article about this condition when my dog experienced this very thing (age 7). It is horribly painful!

Well, apparently when the disc ruptures, it releases chemicals that will actually dissolve the nerves making any kind of reversal of paralysis hopeless. There happened to be a vet in my city who was able to perform a brand new surgery that could restore most of the feeling. He was the only vet in a 7 state area who could do this surgery.

It has to be performed within 24-48 hours to prevent the chemical destruction. I opted to give it a try--no guarantees--for a cost of $1600. (I know, I am nuts but Flaps is my best friend!)

That was over 11 years ago and he is still alive and well at about 95%!

using your dog story as a segway...

I also try to ensure my uric acid is high (I had a low reading from my first blood test after diagnosis), and recently did some more searching for foods that raise uric acid levels, and came accross this list. Which is from a dog web site!

http://www.britishdalmatianclub.org.uk/downloads/Purine%20Table%202003.htm

Dalmations have a problem in that they excrete too much of their uric acid or something.

And I recently also came across the following:


The one that was interesting for me that I kept stumbling across was that LOW dose asprin could increase uric acid (a high dose decreases it). But I hadnt come accross any material that actually stated exactly what was a low and what was a high dose.

The last time I tried to follow up on Uric Acid I got nowhere. Meaning, I couldn't find out how to get it and how much to take. Is there more info on it now? napay

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COB



I believe a 75mg or 1/4 strength tablet is a low dose.

_________________
John
I am what I am

For some reason, I have no idea why, I thought similarily. I had yet to see this dose mentioned explicitly on any of the web sites stating that a low dose of asprin reduces the excretion of uric acid. So I did a search on it and came accross the following:


So it would appear to be a LOT higher than 75mg; ie at 1-2g/day.

Which i am guessing is referencing this article (Havent fully read it yet... But the whole article is available as a large PDF as well)
STUDY OF THE PARADOXICAL EFFECTS OF SALICYLATE IN LOW, INTERMEDIATE AND HIGH DOSAGE ON THE RENAL MECHANISMS FOR EXCRETION OF URATE IN MAN

hey napay, i have edited the uric acid page of wikipedia (link above) to include high and moderate food sources of purines which elevate uric acid in humans.

you can also take a supplement called inosine which converts to uric acid. i never bothered with the inosine although i did find a supplier. it was available for online purchase when i looked earlier this year.

i am going to book an appointment today to get some requisitions for more bloodwork, to check if my 2006 dietary changes (15yrs of veganism to raving omnivore) have been successful in raising my serum uric acid level from 194. i'm aiming for 290.

ok... just tell me, what foods will raise uric acid levels? thanks.

Libreni
if you google "gout" AND "foods" AND "avoid" you will get lots of info on food that increases uric acid.
Some of it is impractical - like venison, game meats etc, unless you have your own game reserve! - and others are a matter of taste like offal.
I wonder just how much of this kind of food you'd have to eat, to make difference?

The "dog" list I posted above is the most complete I have seen.
http://www.britishdalmatianclub.org.uk/downloads/Purine%20Table%202003.htm

Jimmylegs,

Here's an old article about Inosine. I wish it was easy to get hold of, I can only find it in body-building supplements. Intriguingly, one 'Google' result begins: 'Insulin-like growth factor'--so many things on this site point in similar directions, I hope someone, somewhere, is listening,

Dom.

June 24, 2002

Inosine aids stroke recovery

In what is being referred to as a landmark study, researchers at Children's Hospital in Boston have found that the naturally occurring compound inosine stimulates nerve fiber growth in the brain and spinal cord, aiding in the recovery of function following a stroke. The report was published in the June 25 2002 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In rats in whom a stroke was induced, one group was given inosine while the remaining rats served as controls. Animals treated with inosine showed a greater ability to place their paws on a table when their bodies were lowered toward it than the untreated group, and after nineteen days the treated animals demonstrated almost normal ability while the untreated rats experienced only half these gains. In a second experiment, rats who were trained to grasp food through the bars of their cages showed greater post-stroke recovery of their ability to use the stroke-effected paw. In addition, rats recovering from strokes given inosine regained their ability to swim normally after eight weeks, while untreated rats did not. When their brains were examined, treated rats showed three to four times the amount of compensatory growth of neurons into areas that had lost their normal connections than untreated animals.

Principle investigator and head of the laboratory at Children's Hospital, Dr Larry Benowitz, stated, "These findings are of both scientific and clinical interest. The study shows that inosine induces a great deal of rewiring in the brain after stroke. This rewiring is apparently sufficient to promote substantial functional recovery. In terms of clinical implications, inosine, which appears to have no apparent side effects in animals thus far, has potential as a novel nerve regeneration approach to treatment of stroke and other types of brain injuries."

June 21, 2002

cool. I live in Indiana, so venison is plentiful(a family of hunters). And thanks!

Thanks Jimmy. I've not read much about Uric Acid. I think I have an article somewhere ....... looking......... ok, can't find. I just did a quick search to see if something came up that might ring a bell - not really. But here are some links:

Uric acid, a natural scavenger of peroxynitrite, in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis

Uric acid, a peroxynitrite scavenger, inhibits CNS inflammation, blood–CNS barrier permeability changes, and tissue damage in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis

Inactivation of peroxynitrite in multiple sclerosis patients after oral administration of inosine may suggest possible approaches to therapy of the disease

Uric acid protects against secondary damage after spinal cord injury

reality check:
Uric Acid Promotes Tumor Immune Rejection

I have not really read all these, I link them because they looked relevant and in order to share the info quicker. I will try to get around to reading them soon. ciao, napay

_________________
My Starting Point
Understanding MS 101: Doctor Talk and People Talk<br /><br />

hiya napay i love reading about uric acid. somebody freaking shoot me NOW.

i havent read the tumour/rejection thing carefully enough to see how it all would fit in. but if you have a squiz at the wikipedia page, hit the link to the reference talking about uric acid levels in ms patients vs healthy controls. that's some research i really enjoy knowing about!