New cellular model to study multiple sclerosis progression
The Neuroimmunology group analyses the microglia to find drugs that modulate and slow the progression of the disease.
Researchers from Lleida have developed a new cellular model that allows them to study the microglia of patients with multiple sclerosis to see how they respond to drugs to slow the progression of the disease. The Neuroimmunology group of the University of Lleida (UdL) and the Institute for Biomedical Research of Lleida (IRBLleida), led by Luis Brieva, a neurologist at the Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital in Lleida, has promoted this research to study microglia individually in more advanced stages of the disease. The research has been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease characterised by demyelination (loss of myelin, the protective layer of neurons) and neuroinflammation. One of the key factors in this disease is oxidative stress, which can damage cells and aggravate brain damage. This study has investigated how cells respond to myelin remnants under different oxidative conditions.
To achieve this, the researchers oxidised the myelin using a system based on copper and peroxide, and confirmed the oxidation using specific markers. Analyses of the shape and behaviour of microglia have revealed that the way in which these cells process myelin changes according to time and dose, and that oxidised myelin alters the dynamics of phagosomes (organelles responsible for degrading substances inside cells).
‘This model could be very useful for personalised medicine, as it allows us to analyse how the cells of a specific patient respond to oxidative damage and thus develop treatments adapted to each case,’ said one of the researchers, Pascual Torres. In short, this study highlights the impact of the oxidative status of myelin on the function of microglia and opens the door to new strategies to better understand and treat oxidative stress in multiple sclerosis, an important step towards personalised medicine in neuroinflammation.
The project has received support from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the European NextGeneration funds.
Reference article: Santacreu-Vilaseca, M., Moreno-Magallon, J., Juanes-Casado, A., Gil-Sánchez, A., González-Mingot, C., Torres, P., & Brieva, L. (2025). Novel Cell Models to Study Myelin and Microglia Interactions. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(5), 2179. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26052179 Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
