Steroid Receptors as targets for myelin regeneration by endogenous adult neural stem cells

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The nerve fibres of the brain and spinal cord (the CNS) are surround by an insulating material called myelin that protects the fibres and allows them to carry electrical impulses very rapidly. Myelin is made by a cell called an oligodendrocyte. This cell is the primary target in several neurological diseases most notably multiple sclerosis (MS). Early in the disease the brains own stem cells are able to replace the lost oligodendrocytes and hence myelin can be restored (a regenerative process called remyelination). However, as the disease progresses and the patient ages remyelination becomes less efficient and the fibres are left without their myelin: in this state they are very vulnerable to irreversible degeneration. Therapies that enhance remyelination will have a major impact on the treatment of MS - however, none currently exist. In this project UK and Chinese laboratories will strengthen an existing collaboration to test the ability of a naturally-derived plant compound called diosgenin, which is already in clinical use, to enhance remyelination in laboratory models of MS and will continue studies to understand the mechanisms of action of diosgenin in remyelination.