Structure of the hormone Prolactin, Wikipedia CommonsProlactin: A Novel Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis? MStranslate April 23, 2015 Research By Brett Drummond Prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production in women, has been previously shown to have the ability to remyelinate damaged nerves. Therefore, it’s potential for use as a therapy in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been considered. However, prolactin has also been shown to promote inflammation, which would be detrimental in MS. To assess this, a recent study from the University of Calgary examined the effect of prolactin treatment in the mouse model of MS. In the study, affected mice were treated with either prolactin, interferon-beta, a combination of the two or nothing. It was shown that treatment with prolactin alone had no effect on the disease outcome in mice, either positive or negative, when compared to the mice that received no treatment. However, mice that received the combination therapy displayed a reduction in clinical symptoms. It was unclear whether this was due to remyelination of damaged nerves. These results suggest a need for further studies into the use of prolactin as an additional treatment option for people with MS. Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
