A recent study revealed two new chemical compounds that may open the door of hope for patients with multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath, the protective covering that surrounds nerve fibers to protect them, which hinders the transmission of nerve signals between the brain and the body.
The number of people living with multiple sclerosis worldwide is estimated at more than 2.9 million. Its symptoms may appear in the form of numbness, tingling, and vision disturbances, and may develop into paralysis.
Despite the availability of treatments that reduce inflammation and slow the progression of the disease, medicine has not been able to date to develop a treatment that restores the damaged myelin sheath or protects nerve cells from damage.
The study was conducted thanks to a research cooperation that lasted more than 10 years between two academic teams from the University of California and the University of Illinois in the United States, and its results were published in the journal Scientific Reports on October 8, and the Eurek Alert website wrote about it.
The new study is based on previous research on a compound known as Indazole Chloride, which has shown an ability to promote remyelination and regulate the immune system in mouse models of multiple sclerosis.
Despite its effectiveness, the compound lacked the appropriate pharmacological properties and patents needed to develop it as a drug that could be used to treat patients.
Find the best compound
After examining more than 60 compounds derived from indazole chloride, to find the most effective and safest, and the best investment in developing new treatments for multiple sclerosis, the research team was able to identify two main compounds bearing the symbols K102 (K102) and K110 (K110).
Experiments recorded the ability of these two compounds to remyelinate around damaged axons safely, with higher effectiveness, and improved pharmacological properties in both experiments on mice and human cells.
The compound K102 showed a promising dual ability, as it helped to reconstitute myelin and regulate the activity of the immune system, making it a strong candidate for treating multiple sclerosis and perhaps other diseases affecting the nervous system.
While the second compound, K110, showed slightly different effects, which may make it suitable for treating other injuries such as spinal cord injuries or some brain injuries. Work is currently continuing to study its properties in more depth.
This discovery represents an important step towards developing treatments that may help repair damaged nerves, and not just slow the damage as current treatments do.
The research team hopes that clinical trials on humans will begin soon, which may open the way for the first innovative treatment to rebuild myelin and improve the lives of multiple sclerosis patients.
Although the initial focus of the studies is on this disease, the team believes that the two compounds may have future applications in other diseases that involve nerve damage, such as stroke and neurodegeneration.