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Significant quality-of-life benefit with BG-12

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2013 5:17 am
by MSUK
A post hoc analysis of phase 3 studies in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) clearly showed that those taking the oral agent BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate; Tecfidera, Biogen Idec Inc.) experienced significant improvements in physical and mental functioning, general well-being, and overall health status, whereas those receiving placebo typically reported declines in these measures of quality of life....... Read More - http://www.ms-uk.org/index.cfm/BG12

Re: Significant quality-of-life benefit with BG-12

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 2:46 am
by NHE
From the article...
Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a first-line oral treatment for MS earlier this year, BG12 has been used for decades as a treatment for psoriasis. It likely acts as an immunomodulating agent, inhibiting proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines and promoting anti-inflammatory activity. It also acts as an antioxidant and may also have a neuroprotective effect.
This statement couldn't further from the truth. Dimethylfumarate is not an antioxidant. Not in the sense that vitamin C, vitamin E, r-lipoic acid and others are antioxidants. Indeed, it is a strong oxidant that's highly reactive against thiol groups such as those in glutathione through a chemical reaction known as Michael Addition. Dimethylfumarate depletes intracellular glutathione making cells think that they're under oxidative stress which induces the Nrf2 transcription factor. This enters the nucleus and induces the production of several antioxidant defense enzymes. Unlike chemical antioxidants, the antioxidant enzymes can quench many more free radicals. While this might lead to an overall antioxidant effect, calling dimethylfumarate an antioxidant is simply incorrect. Even in spite of the induction of antioxidant cellular defense enzymes, chronic glutathione depletion has been reported.

Here is one post from a thread discussing dimethylfumarate. There are many others.
http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-d ... ml#p173757