2. Academic Validation
  3. Remyelination in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder is promoted by edaravone through mTORC1 signaling activation

Remyelination in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder is promoted by edaravone through mTORC1 signaling activation

  • Glia. 2022 Sep 12. doi: 10.1002/glia.24271.
Wenjing Luo 1,  Huiming Xu 1,  Li Xu 1,  Wei Jiang 1,  Chen Chen 1,  Yanyu Chang 1,  Chunxin Liu 1,  Zhenming Tian 2,  Xiusheng Qiu 3,  Chichu Xie 4,  Xuejia Li 5,  Haijia Chen 5,  Shuiqing Lai 6,  Longjun Wu 7,  Yaxiong Cui 8,  Changyong Tang 1,  Wei Qiu 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
  • 2 Department of Spine Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
  • 3 Vaccine Research Institute, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
  • 4 Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
  • 5 Guangzhou SALIAI Stem Cell Science and Technology Co., Ltd., Guangdong Saliai Stem Cell Research Institute, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
  • 6 Department of Endocrinology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
  • 7 Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
  • 8 State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
PMID: 36089914 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24271
Abstract

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a severe inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that is manifested as secondary myelin loss. Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) are the principal source of myelinating oligodendrocytes (OLs) and are abundant in demyelinated regions of NMOSD patients, thus possibly representing a cellular target for pharmacological intervention. To explore the therapeutic compounds that enhance myelination due to endogenous OPCs, we screened the candidate drugs in mouse neural progenitor cell (NPC)-derived OPCs. We identified drug edaravone, which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as a promoter of OPC differentiation into mature OLs. Edaravone enhanced remyelination in organotypic slice cultures and in mice, even when edaravone was administered following NMO-IgG-induced demyelination, and ameliorated motor impairment in a systemic mouse model of NMOSD. The results of mechanistic studies in NMO-IgG-treated mice and the biopsy samples of the brain tissues of NMOSD patients indicated that the mTORC1 signaling pathway was significantly inhibited, and edaravone promoted OPC maturation and remyelination by activating mTORC1 signaling. Furthermore, pharmacological activation of mTORC1 signaling significantly enhanced myelin regeneration in NMOSD. Thus, edaravone is a potential therapeutic agent that promotes lesion repair in NMOSD patients by enhancing OPC maturation.

Keywords

edaravone; mTORC1; neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder; oligodendrocyte progenitor cells; remyelination.

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