Drug to block enzyme could lead to nerve cell repair in multiple sclerosis

Areas of damage in the brain that cause multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological conditions could soon begin to be repaired by hindering one key enzyme, according to a new study carried out at the Oregon Health and Science University.

Published in the online journal Annals of Neurology, the research has looked into these disorders and diseases and found they are caused by demyelination; a process which causes the loss of a protective cap around nerve cells in the brain.  This interference alters the ability of the cells to communicate, resulting in difficulties with sensory, cognitive and motor skills for people suffering from MS and other disorders.

Any medicine which can promote the remyelination process therefore has the possibility of improving these key skills for those affected. It had been previously thought that the presence of the natural sugar hyaluronic acid in the areas of the brain affected by demyelination, was the reason the production of myelin had been prevented. Now research has shown that it is the products from the enzymatic breakdown of hyaluronic acid by hyaluronidase which stops remyelination from occurring, and that MS patients typically have higher levels of this enzyme.

By blocking the hyaluronidase activity, nerve cell function could be improved, so the next challenge is developing a drug which targets only this one enzyme. This discovery does not necessarily mean a cure for MS, since there are many other factors which contribute to the problems associated with multiple sclerosis and other similar disorders. But reducing this enzymatic activity could indicate one way in which the function of affected nerves cells in the brain could start to be improved.