Hormone prolactin reverses MS damage

Pregnancy hormone reverses MS damage NewScientist 2/21/07 "The finding could help explain why women with MS suffer fewer symptoms during pregnancy. And the results suggest that the hormone - prolactin - might one day be used to treat people with the disorder...Specifically, the area damaged by the initial injection had more new oligodendrocytes - cells that produce myelin. Only one-tenth of the spinal cord nerves in the pregnant mice lacked protective myelin, compared to one-third of the nerves in the non-pregnant mice...They identified receptors for prolactin on the surface of the myelin-producing cells and were also able to boost the growth of these cells using prolactin in a Petri dish...the scientists gave prolactin to non-pregnant mice with induced nerve damage and found that the hormone roughly doubled the number of spinal cells with a protective myelin coating. "We're excited about this result because it suggests to us that prolactin has the potential to be used to enhance the production of new myelin," ...experts warn that using prolactin to treat people with MS could have unwanted side effects, such as encouraging lactation in both men and non-pregnant women...Furthermore, previous studies have also indicated that prolactin may stimulate the immune system. This could be particularly dangerous for people suffering from MS, as it believed to be an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself. "The only downside is that we have to be absolutely sure that prolactin does not promote inflammation," "

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