Pregnancy Hormone for MS

Pregnancy hormone offers hope for treatment for multiple sclerosis
Posted on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 (EST)

The mystery of why multiple sclerosis (MS) tends to go into remission while women are pregnant may be the secret to overcoming the devastating neurodegenerative disease, according to University of Calgary researchers who have shown that a pregnancy-related hormone is responsible for rebuilding the protective coating around nerve cells.

hormone prolactin encourages the spontaneous production of myelin, the fatty substance that coats nerve cells and plays a critical role in transmitting messages in the central nervous system.

Further, when non-pregnant mice with MS-like lesions were injected with prolactin, their myelin was also repaired.

Subsequent tests of prolactin in animal models of MS will be required before testing of prolactin on humans can take place, but MS researchers are hopeful human trials can take place within the next several years.

http://news.sawf.org/Health/33783.aspx