Multiple sclerosis: some possible therapeutic opportunities

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a human disease characterized by chronic demylination in the brain caused by immunological mechanisms involving T lymphocytes and macrophages. Recently developed models of chronic relapsing forms of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, sharing many of the clinical and pathological features of MS, and new discoveries of efficient autoregulatory mechanisms intrinsic to the immune system, have suggested new possibilities for therapeutic intervention in MS. Moreover, recent data support the concept that the immune system is exposed to a broad framework of regulation, including neuroendocrine control. In particular, interfering with secretion of the lactogenic hormone prolactin and of glucocorticoids has consistently resulted in a reduction of clinical and pathological manifestations of the disease. In this review, Frank Berkenbosch and colleagues highlight several of the possible therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of MS.