Anti-Inflammatory Protein May Reduce Severity of MS

A new study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia reveals that a key protein may reduce the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS). This regulatory protein, Del-1, has previously been found to prevent inflammation and bone loss in a mouse model of periodontal diseases. This latest finding opens the possibility that properly functioning Del-1 might help protect the body against disease.

The researchers hypothesized that Del-1 may prevent inflammation in the central nervous system. To test this theory, they examined Del-1 expressed in brain tissue of cadaver donors with MS. Of those with chronic active MS, Del-1 levels were significantly reduced. The results were repeated in an in vitro rodent study, in which subjects experiencing a MS flareup were administered Del-1 as a therapeutic agent. Doing so prevented future episodes of the disease. The team’s findings appear in the paper “Developmental Endothelial Locus-1 Is a Homeostatic Factor in the Central Nervous System Limiting Neuroinflammation And Demyelination,” published in the November 2014 issue of Molecular Psychiatry.

From Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. December 2014;12(12):12–13.