Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) remains without an effective treatment in spite of intense research efforts. Interferon-beta (IFN-β) reduces duration and severity of symptoms in many relapsing-remitting MS patients, but its mechanism of action is still not well understood. Moreover, IFN-β and other available treatments must be given parenterally and have a variety of adverse effects. Certain naturally occurring flavonoids, such as luteolin, have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, including inhibition of activated peripheral blood leukocytes from MS patients. Luteolin also inhibits mast cells, as well as mast cell-dependent T cell activation, recently implicated in MS pathogenesis. Moreover, luteolin and structurally similar flavonoids can inhibit experimental allergic allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS in rodents. An appropriate luteolin formulation that permits sufficient absorption and reduces its metabolism could be a useful adjuvant to IFN-β for MS therapy.
Highlights
This issue includes an interesting article by Sternberg et al showing that the flavonoid luteolin inhibits IL-1, TNF and metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) release from activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and that the effect of luteolin is augmented by concurrent administration of interferonbeta (IFN-β)
This paper extends previous similar results with quercetin that required higher concentrations of the flavonoid [1]
Luteolin with or without IFN-β, could be helpful in MS by inhibiting PBMC release of cytokines, and by inhibiting T cells, which we recently showed can be superstimulated by mast cells, an action inhibited by luteolin [2]
Summary
This issue includes an interesting article by Sternberg et al showing that the flavonoid luteolin inhibits IL-1, TNF and metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) release from activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and that the effect of luteolin is augmented by concurrent administration of interferonbeta (IFN-β). This paper extends previous similar results with quercetin that required higher concentrations of the flavonoid [1]
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