Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have found the first evidence that a specific form of oestrogen can protect the brain in multiple sclerosis without raising the risk of oestrogen-driven cancers such as breast and womb cancer, and that men could use it without the side effects of traditional oestrogen. The study was done in mice with an MS-like disease.
Although people with multiple sclerosis take several anti-inflammatory drugs to ease their physical symptoms, none of these drugs stops the degeneration of the brain and spinal cord. The UCLA scientists found that a "designer oestrogen", which acts on only one type of oestrogen receptor, could be given at high doses without increasing the risk of cancer.
Such an oestrogen might offer a new weapon against brain damage in diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), and against spinal cord injury or age-related brain damage. Studies in people are needed first.
Like
Love
Angry
Dislike
