Molecular pathway hope for MS treatment

A new study has found that boosting energy production in nerve fibres might help treat multiple sclerosis (MS).

MS inflammation causes less production of energy in the nerve fibres because it reduces the level of enzymes in a key molecular pathway. When a cell breaks down sugar to produce energy, the sugar molecule first enters into a pathway called the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), also known as the Krebs cycle or the citric acid cycle. The TCA cycle itself generates a small amount of cellular energy, and the products from the cycle are then used by mitochondria to produce more energy.

The researchers said that these findings suggest if they can boost the activity of the TCA cycle, this may in the future leas to treatment benefits for MS.

“The results we present here expand our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis [development of disease] of immune-mediated mitochondrial [energy production] damage and propose new avenues for therapeutic intervention,” the team wrote.