In a discovery that has the potential to cure multiple sclerosis and benefit other autoimmune diseases, researchers from Virginia University stated that they have identified a vital contributor to the hyperactive autoimmune response and neuro-inflammation that are the hallmarks of multiple sclerosis.

The findings of the study, published in the journal PLOS Biology recently, found that blocking the vital contributor, aryl hydrocarbon receptors in animal models alleviated the harmful inflammation, thereby giving researchers a prime target in their efforts to develop new treatments for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases.

The research, conducted by Andrea Merchak, a doctoral candidate in neuroscience, and her colleagues in the lab of Associate Professor Dr Alban Gaultier, at the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Department of Neuroscience and its Centre for Brain Immunology and Glia

Explain their research Andrea Merchak said, “We are approaching the search for multiple sclerosis therapeutics from a new direction.”

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Pointing out that the information obtained during their research can be used to find early interventions in multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases, she added, “By modulating the microbiome [the collection of microorganisms that naturally live inside us], we are making inroads in understanding how the immune response can end up out of control in autoimmunity.”

According to available data in  2020, an estimated 2.8 million people across the globe was living with multiple sclerosis, a disease usually present at a highly productive stage of life. It has been recording a rising trend since 2013.

The symptoms of the disease can include muscle spasms, stiffness, weakness, difficulty moving, depression, and pain, among others.

Experts say that currently, there is no cure for the disease, and treatments on assisting patients in managing their symptoms, controlling flare-ups and reducing the progression of the disease.

Bolstering the findings of recent research indicating that the gut microbiomes play an essential role in multiple sclerosis, the researchers said that they had found an immune system controller found in “barrier tissues” such as the intestine, which can reprogramme the gut microbiome to promote harmful chronic inflammation.

Dr Gaultier and his collaborators found that blocking the activity of the regulator, called “aryl hydrocarbon receptor,” in immune cells called T cells dramatically reduced the production of bile acids and other metabolites in the microbiomes of lab mice.

The researchers found that with this receptor out of commission, inflammation decreased and the mice recovered.

Though these are initial findings, they suggest that doctors may one day be able to take a similar approach to interrupt the harmful inflammation in people with multiple sclerosis and much more research is needed for a better understanding of the interactions between the immune system and the microbiome, the researchers said.

“Due to the complexity of the gut flora, probiotics are difficult to use clinically. This receptor can easily be targeted with medications, so we may have found a more reliable route to promote a healthy gut microbiome,” Merchak said.

“Ultimately, fine-tuning the immune response using the microbiome could save patients from dealing with the harsh side effects of immunosuppressant drugs,” she added.