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Inflammasome Therapeutics - Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis

Inflammasomes & Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis is a disabling disease of the central nervous system (CNS) affecting approximately 900,000 people in the US. It is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys the myelin sheath that protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. The causes of MS are unknown but it is associated with smoking, viral infection (Epstein Barr), other autoimmune diseases, and heredity. It is 3 times more common in women and usually diagnosed between the ages of 16 and 55.

Inflammasome activation is recognized as being pathogenic in Multiple Sclerosis. Inflammasome activation causes production and release of caspase-1 and inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β and IL-18. Caspase-1 and these cytokines are elevated in peripheral monocytes, CSF, or serum of patients with MS and are increased further either during or immediately preceding disease flare ups. Elevations of these inflammatory markers are predictive of clinical progression of the disease, while in animal models their inhibition prevents disease progression. These findings indicate a crucial role of inflammasome activation in the pathology of MS.