The results are said to be spectacular! A study conducted on rats by researchers at the University of Cambridge and published in the journal Cell Stem Cellreveals that Metformin, usually used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes, would treat nerve damage due to multiple sclerosis.
Initially, this treatment aims to reduce blood sugar levels. For three months, the rodents were placed on Metformin. Then the researchers extracted myelin, which protects nerve cells, from certain nerves in the animals’ brains.
It is precisely myelin that is attacked by the immune system in cases of multiple sclerosis. The nerves lose their ability to react to information sent by the brain.
Almost complete recovery
Result of the experiment? The effects of multiple sclerosis literally reversed. After this operation, the myelin is fully restored after three weeks of treatment. Their recovery is almost complete according to the researchers. With this discovery, they could significantly slow the progression of the disease, and prevent further nerve damage.
The researchers’ idea is to use Metformin to rejuvenate stem cells, in order to transform them into myelin-producing cells to fight against multiple sclerosis. Within a year, the first tests on human patients should be carried out.
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