Neuroinflammation and paralysis reversed in an animal model; Heidelberg neurologist publishes in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Conventional blood pressure medication can treat inflammation in an animal model mimicking multiple sclerosis (MS). This discovery was made by Dr. Michael Platten, head consultant at the department of Neurooncology at Heidelberg University Hospital and head of the Helmholtz Experimental Neuroimmunology Junior Research Group on at the German Cancer Research Center and his team in cooperation with scientists from Stanford University in California. Blood pressure medication called ACE inhibitors and AT1R blockers can suppress inflammation in mice suffering from an autoimmune disease comparable to MS. The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) back-to-back with a report of a Bochum team that also supports the new role for ACE inhibitors.
The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is a system of messengers and receptors that regulates blood pressure. The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) produces angiotensin II, which increases blood pressure. This effect is mediated mainly via the angiotensin 1 receptor (AT1R). Medications that inhibit the ACE enzyme or block the AT1R receptor are used by millions to lower blood pressure. Scientific trials and clinical observations have increased the suspicion that RAAS also plays a decisive role in immunological processes.
Inflammation and paralysis reversed