Sugar Molecule May Be Potential Myelin-repairing Therapy

[tzootsi]

I know that 'potential' MS cures come out every week, but this one looks interesting.
https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com/ ... _nnBOY10C4

[NHE]

N-Acetylglucosamine drives myelination by triggering oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation
J Biol Chem. 2020 Sep 25;jbc.RA120.015595.

Myelination plays an important role in cognitive development and in demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), where failure of re-myelination promotes permanent neuro-axonal damage. Modification of cell surface receptors with branched N-glycans coordinates cell growth and differentiation by controlling glycoprotein clustering, signaling and endocytosis. N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is a rate-limiting metabolite for N-glycan branching. Here we report that GlcNAc and N-glycan branching trigger oligodendrogenesis from precursor cells by inhibiting PDGF receptor-α cell endocytosis. Supplying oral GlcNAc to lactating mice drives primary myelination in newborn pups via secretion in breast milk, while genetically blocking N-glycan branching markedly inhibits primary myelination. In adult mice with toxin (cuprizone) induced demyelination, oral GlcNAc prevents neuro-axonal damage by driving myelin repair. In MS patients, endogenous serum GlcNAc levels inversely correlated with imaging measures of demyelination and microstructural damage. Our data identifies N-glycan branching and GlcNAc as critical regulators of primary myelination and myelin repair and suggests oral GlcNAc may be neuro-protective in demyelinating diseases like MS.

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[Scott1]

Hi,
NAC, from my own experience, is one of the "be careful what you wish for " supplements. In early 2014, I started taking it because I was lured into thinking it was a good idea. By September that year I was in hospital for three weeks with a two year program as an outpatient in front of me.
Surrounding each bacteria is a mesh-like substance called a peptidoglycan. Depending on the conditions around half of this is made up of NAC. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peptidoglycan
Penicillin works by dismantling the peptidoglycan. I assume, in some bacteria, the addition of NAC will strengthen the bacteria.
If you believe in the EBV model for MS there is some evidence that some bacteria can reactivate latent EBV .
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6587852/
I will never know but I am very suspicious that supplementing with NAC may have been a trigger for me to have a really bad attack.
There is plenty of room to say that it does no harm if the bacteria in your system is benign but I wouldn't be rushing to use it.
Regards,