http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/115/111965.htm
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Fighting MS: Old Product a New Help?
Glucosamine Fights Multiple Sclerosis in
Tests on
Mice By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise
Chang, MD
on Thursday,
December 01, 2005 Dec. 1, 2005 --
Glucosamine, an
over-the-counter natural product often taken to ease joint pain from
osteoarthritis, may counter multiple sclerosis (MS).
That's according to a new study in The
Journal of Immunology.
The researchers included Guang-Xian
Zhang,
MD, PhD. Zhang is an assistant professor of neurology at Thomas Jefferson University's Jefferson Medical College.
Zhang's team studied mice, not people.
Their report doesn't include any recommendations about glucosamine use.
However, the researchers write that
glucosamine might work well with other MS drugs and may have potential
against
other autoimmune diseases.
About MS
In autoimmune diseases such as multiple
sclerosismultiple sclerosis, the body's immune system doesn't work
properly.
The immune system protects the body from
viruses and other unfamiliar matter. But in autoimmune diseases, the
immune
system attacks the body's own tissue.
In MS, the immune system damages tissue
called myelin, a sheath wrapped around nerves. As a result, MS can
cause
problems with muscle control, vision, balance, sensation (such as
numbness),
and thinking ability.
MS affects more than 300,000 people in
the U.S., write
Zhang and
colleagues. The disease's exact cause isn't known.
Mimicking MS in Mice
The researchers studied mice with an
MS-like disease. Glucosamine suppressed symptoms of that disease and
tamed
inflammation in the mice, the researchers report.
In a news release, Zhang's colleague,
A.M.
Rostami, MD, PhD, gave his perspective.
"It would be fantastic if glucosamine
works in humans because we have a product that has a long track record
for
safety, and most importantly, can be given orally," Rostami says.
"As a therapy, it might be used in
combination with other proven treatments, such as beta-interferon and
copaxone," Rostami continues.
Rostami, who worked on the study, is a
professor
and chairman of the neurology department at Thomas Jefferson University's Jefferson Medical College and Philadelphia's Jefferson Hospital for
Neuroscience. He
also directs the neuroimmunology lab in Jefferson Medical College's
neurology
department.
SOURCES: Zhang, G. The Journal of
Immunology, Dec. 1, 2005; vol 175:
pp 7202-7208.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise: "Glucosamine and Chondroitin:
Topic Overview." WebMD Medical Reference provided in collaboration with
The Cleveland Clinic: "Multiple Sclerosis: What Is Multiple
Sclerosis?" News release, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
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