A recent study of the team of scientists at Tomas Jefferson, under the leadership of Professor Guan-Soyan Zhang, showed that the compound contained in the fruit peel-ursholic acid can potentially facilitate the condition of patients with multiple sclerosis.
Experiments were conducted on mice in the acute phase of the disease. After 20 days from the beginning of the use of ursholic acid, mice paralyzed before that again gained the ability to walk.
Researchers studied the mechanism of interaction between ursholic acid with cells and found that it inhibits (suppresses activity) immune cells, which are the main driver of the RS. In addition, ursholic acid promotes the maturation of oligodendocytes – cells that produce a myelin that forms a protective membrane of the nerve endings.
“This is not a medicine,” Dr. Zhang explains, “but if we see the same reaction in people, this will mean a significant change in the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis”.
Scattered sclerosis (RS) is an incurable chronic autoimmune disease, from which millions of people around the world suffer. The reason for its occurrence is still unknown. It is only known that at some point the immune system begins to attack the protective membranes of the nerve endings, consisting of Myelin, and destroy them. As a result, the nervous system responsible for motor functions is affected, and after a few years a person turns into a disabled person.
Source — Medical Xpress