The next major step in MS: Research Summary: Repurposing the cardiac glycoside digoxin to stimulate myelin regeneration in chemically-induced and immune-mediated mouse models of multiple sclerosis
The ability to repair myelin damage in multiple sclerosis represents the next major step forward in the treatment of the disease.
FINDING #1: Digoxin was able to promote the repair of damaged myelin in mice.
FINDING #2: Digoxin was found to be ineffective at suppressing the autoimmune response in an animal model of multiple sclerosis. This indicates that the benefits observed through the use of digoxin relate to its ability to promote myelin repair and show it does not have any impact on disease progression.
FINDING #3: A combined treatment approach using digoxin and a second therapy designed to stop new damage to the central nervous system produced better improvements in clinical symptoms in an animal model of multiple sclerosis. This suggests that the best strategy may involve using two treatments: one to stop new damage, such as many of the existing therapies for multiple sclerosis, and one to repair existing damage (i.e. a remyelination therapy).