| Abstract: | Curcumin and Multiple Sclerosis In Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the inflammation caused by the patient's own immune system against the central nervous tissue leads to progressive loss of neurological functions. Reactive oxygenated species and nitric oxid, the latter produced by nitric oxid‐Synthases (NO) destroy axons and myelin sheets. In experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for MS, arginase I expression is upregulated and an inhibition of arginase helps to delay the onset of EAE‐symptoms. Since arginases compete with NO for the substrate arginine, a complex network regulates NO activity. The prevalence of MS in societies, where curcumin is part of the daily diet, is lower than in the northern hemisphere. A specific inhibition of arginases by curcuma extract in vitro and evidence for a direct association of compounds therein with arginases suggests a perspective for the treatment of MS. |
