Drug-based modulation of endogenous stem cells promotes functional remyelination in vivo.

ABSTRACT: Multiple sclerosis involves an aberrant autoimmune response and progressive failure of remyelination in the central nervous system. Prevention of neural degeneration and subsequent disability requires remyelination through the generation of new oligodendrocytes, but current treatments exclusively target the immune system. Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells are stem cells in the central nervous system and the principal source of myelinating oligodendrocytes. These cells are abundant in demyelinated regions of patients with multiple sclerosis, yet fail to differentiate, thereby representing a cellular target for pharmacological intervention. To discover therapeutic compounds for enhancing myelination from endogenous oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, we screened a library of bioactive small mol

SUBMITTER: Najm FJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4528969 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature