Press update on pioglitazone (diabetes drug)

[JFH]

Press update on this ThisIsMS article: http://www.thisisms.com/modules.php?nam ... =1&thold=0
and http://www.jneuroinflammation.com/content/1/1/3
From: http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_chann ... ryid=11042

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.

[...]

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

My edits to remove advert and "MS is a disease ...".

[treez]

In past posts I've mentioned that there are probably many trials and research projects currently active that we don't even know about. I think this was directed at Bromley. Case in point, I'd never heard of this before!

We all tend to concentrate on new drug development, with the thousands already out there, who's to say there isn't already one out there? It's just being used for a different malady.

My next question would be:

What is pioglitazones' mode of action? That would be a different approach to MS understanding! Total unrelated drugs that show effectiveness you would think show some common effect within the mode of action. If we know ALL the effects. Which in most cases we don't I guess

So many drugs that are effective yet carry the phrase " we don't completely understand how it works".

Just babbling here I guess

Treez

[MacGyver]

What is pioglitazones' mode of action?

PPAR-gamma agonists like pioglitazone seem to have a broad range of activity that could be beneficial in treating MS, so I guess that is why your question is a bit tricky. However, it seems to be pretty clear that PPAR-gamma agonists is "hot" science, i.e. a lot of new papers are being published, proposing both neuroprotecting as well as immunomodulating modes of action. Also pioglitazone and similiar substances seem to have beneficial effects on the integrity of the microvascular system, which also seems to be involved in MS...I guess there is more.

Enough said, here is a fresh Pubmed abstract proposing microglial inactivation as possible 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.

/Mac