Rush Scientists Identify a New Function of Aspirin

CHICAGO, IL, May 13, 2013 (Press-News.org) Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, is one of the most widely used medications in the world. It is often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever and as an anti-inflammatory medication. It also works as a blood thinner.

Neurological scientists at the Rush University Medical Center (Chicago) in collaboration with the University of Wuerzburg (Germany) have discovered that aspirin stimulates the production of a beneficial molecule in the brain that may ultimately protect nerve cells in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders.

"Understanding how aspirin functions is important to repurpose the drug for other diseases" said Kalipada Pahan, the Floyd A. Davis Professor of Neurology at Rush and lead investigator of this study.

Results from the National Institutes of Health funded study, were recently published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Dr. Pahan has also received a four-year merit award of $1,026,000 from Veterans Affairs to continue this study.

MS is an autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system, which consists of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. The disease is caused by damage to the myelin sheath, which is a fatty tissue that surrounds and protects the nerve cells.

When myelin or the nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, the nerve impulses are slowed down and the electrical impulses to and from the brain are disrupted. This disruption causes the symptoms of MS, which include numbness in the limbs, paralysis and loss of vision.

"These autoimmune reactions in the brain ultimately kill oligodendrocytes, which are a certain type of brain cells that make myelin and protect the nerve cells," Dr. Pahan said.

A particular beneficial protein for nerve cells called cilliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is critical for survival and function of oligodendrocytes. Past research indicates that this protein is drastically decreased in the brain of MS patients.

The study findings indicate that low dose aspirin increases CNTF from astrocytes, cells that do not die in MS brain. "Aspirin stimulates memory-related protein CREB (cyclic AMP response element-binding protein) using another protein known as PKA (protein kinase A) and increases CNTF", said Pahan.

"Interestingly, after aspirin treatment, CNTF produced from astrocytes restores myelin genes and protects oligodendrocytes from MS-related toxicity", said Pahan.

"Now we need to translate this finding to the clinic and test the efficacy of aspirin in MS patients. If low dose aspirin helps in remyelination of axons in MS patients, it would open up a promising avenue of treatment of this debilitating disease," Dr. Pahan said.

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 400,000 people in the U.S. are affected by MS, which is diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, but can be found at any age. It causes muscle weakness, tremors, cognitive changes, depression, and other problems. About half of MS patients become wheelchair bound within 10-12 years of disease onset and during the last stages of the disease, patients are bedridden.

Website: http://www.pahanlab.com