Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Measuring Progressive Neurological Disability in a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis
08:11

Measuring Progressive Neurological Disability in a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis

Published on: November 14, 2016

11.6K

Targeting Mitochondrial Metabolism in Neuroinflammation: Towards a Therapy for Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Luca Peruzzotti-Jametti1, Stefano Pluchino1

  • 1Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Trends in Molecular Medicine
|August 14, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Persistent activation of mononuclear phagocytes (MPs) drives neurodegeneration in chronic neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS). Targeting their mitochondrial metabolism offers a novel therapeutic strategy to prevent further CNS damage and disability.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimmunology
  • Mitochondrial Metabolism
  • Chronic Neurological Disorders

Background:

  • Chronic neurological conditions, exemplified by multiple sclerosis (MS), lack effective treatments due to incomplete understanding of disease pathophysiology.
  • Persistent activation of mononuclear phagocytes (MPs) significantly contributes to neurodegeneration and sustained central nervous system (CNS) damage.
  • Mitochondrial metabolism in immune cells influences MP activity and inflammatory signaling, but its role in chronic neuroinflammation remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of mitochondrial metabolism in sustaining chronic neuroinflammation driven by mononuclear phagocytes (MPs).
  • To identify novel therapeutic targets within the metabolic pathways of innate immune cells for treating chronic neurological conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of mononuclear phagocyte (MP) activation and its link to neurodegeneration.
  • Investigation of mitochondrial metabolic pathways in innate immune cells.
  • Exploration of metabolite signaling in neuroinflammation.

Main Results:

  • Persistent MP activation is a key driver of neurodegeneration and CNS damage in chronic neurological diseases.
  • Mitochondrial metabolism critically influences MP activity and inflammatory processes.
  • Understanding immune cell metabolism is crucial for elucidating chronic neuroinflammation.

Conclusions:

  • Targeting mitochondrial metabolism in innate immune cells presents a promising therapeutic avenue for chronic neuroinflammation.
  • Novel molecular and cellular therapies focused on immune cell metabolism could prevent secondary neurological damage and irreversible disability in patients with chronic neurological conditions.
Keywords:
immune metabolismmacrophagesmicrogliamitochondrianeuroinflammationprogressive multiple sclerosis

More Related Videos

Comprehensive Autopsy Program for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis09:41

Comprehensive Autopsy Program for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis

Published on: July 19, 2019

12.0K
The Multiple Sclerosis Performance Test MSPT: An iPad-Based Disability Assessment Tool11:35

The Multiple Sclerosis Performance Test MSPT: An iPad-Based Disability Assessment Tool

Published on: June 30, 2014

58.8K

Related Concept Videos

Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
8.9K
Animal Mitochondrial Genetics02:59

Animal Mitochondrial Genetics

Among all the organelles in an animal cell, only mitochondria have their own independent genomes. Animal mitochondrial DNA is a double-stranded, closed-circular molecule with around 20,000 base pairs. Mitochondrial DNA is unique in that one of its two strands, the heavy, or H, -strand is guanine rich, whereas the complementary strand is cytosine rich and called the light, or L, -strand. Compared to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA has a very low percentage of non-coding regions and is marked by...
9.3K
What is Metabolism?00:52

What is Metabolism?

Overview
132.0K
Export of Mitochondrial and Chloroplast Genes02:19

Export of Mitochondrial and Chloroplast Genes

A eukaryotic cell can have up to three different types of genetic systems: nuclear, mitochondrial, and chloroplast. During evolution, organelles have exported many genes to the nucleus; this transfer is still ongoing in some plant species. Approximately 18% of the Arabidopsis thaliana nuclear genome is thought to be derived from the chloroplast’s cyanobacterial ancestor, and around 75% of the yeast genome derived from the mitochondria’s bacterial ancestor. This export has occurred...
4.2K
Comparing Mitochondrial, Chloroplast, and Prokaryotic Genomes02:16

Comparing Mitochondrial, Chloroplast, and Prokaryotic Genomes

The present-day mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes have retained some of the characteristics of their ancestral prokaryotes and also have acquired new attributes during their evolution within eukaryotic cells. Like prokaryotic genomes, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes neither bind with histone-like proteins nor show complex packaging into chromosome-like structures, as observed in eukaryotes. Unlike mitotic cell divisions observed in eukaryotic cells, mitochondria and chloroplasts...
16.4K
Tumor Progression02:07

Tumor Progression

Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
7.4K