Red Wine Molecule Might Battle MS

Other promising therapies reported at meeting in Montreal

By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter

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FRIDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Resveratrol, the compound in red wine that previous research has linked to longevity, has shown promise in an animal model of multiple sclerosis.

Mice with the MS-like condition called Wallerian degeneration slow (WldS) showed an initial weight gain when given resveratrol, researchers at the University of Utah reported Thursday at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, in Montreal.

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The weight gain occurred in the first two weeks of treatment. A microscopic study of nerve cell tissue at five weeks did not show any positive effect.

"They didn't look at the tissue under the microscope in the first two weeks," said Dr. John Richert, executive vice president for the research and clinical program of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. "Obviously, lots of things can make animals gain weight."

But weight gain of any kind is an encouraging sign in MS treatment, Richert said. "In inflammatory animal models of MS, one of the tell-tale clinical signs of the disease is weight loss. Weight loss often goes hand in hand with loss of neurological function."

The study "poses some questions," Richert said. "Obviously, a lot more needs to be done to see if the weight gain shows a beneficial effect on the disease process. This is evidence that it should be studied further."

Another report at the meeting was on positive results of a human trial of a new drug, laquinimod, which is given in pill form. Developed in the United States, it acts to prevent the body's immune system from attacking nerve cells.

An international study led by Italian physicians had two different doses of laquinimod given to 376 people with MS. "The higher dose was quite effective in reducing the lesions which characterize multiple sclerosis," said study author Dr. Giancarlo Comi, a professor of neurology at the University Vita-Salute and Scientific Institute San Raffaele, in Milan.

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