The prospects of minocycline in multiple sclerosis.

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Although there are several approved drugs for MS, not all patients respond optimally to these drugs. More effective, well-tolerated therapeutic strategies for MS are necessary, either through the development of new medication or combination of existing ones. Minocycline is a traditional antibiotic with profound anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects and good tolerance for long-term use. The encouraging results from the animal model and clinical experiments on minocycline make it a promising candidate for MS treatment whether used alone or combined with other drugs. In this review, we summarized the pharmacological actions of minocycline and focused on its therapeutic effects and safety in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and MS. The data obtained here showed that minocycline would be an effective and safe therapy for MS.

• Authors: Xiaohong Chen, Xiaomeng Ma, Ying Jiang, Rongbiao Pi, Yingying Liu, Lili Ma
• Journal: Journal of neuroimmunology (J Neuroimmunol) Vol. 235 Issue 1-2 Pg. 1-8 (Jun 2011) ISSN: 1872-8421 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 21565409 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Minocycline

Topics

• Animals
• Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental (drug therapy, immunology)
• Humans
• Microglia (drug effects, immunology)
• Minocycline (chemistry, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Multiple Sclerosis (drug therapy, immunology)