Pregnancy Hormone-Containing Combination Products for the Continuous Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases

Summary

UCLA researchers in the Departments of Neurology have discovered that the combination of certain pregnancy hormones can treat autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis.

Background

During the reproductive ages, females are more inclined to suffer from autoimmune disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis. MS is a chronic and debilitating disease that affects the central nervous system. More than 1 million people worldwide are affected.Research suggests that steroid hormones or sex-linked gene inheritance may be responsible for the enhanced susceptibility of women to autoimmune diseases like MS. This is supported by observations of alternations in disease symptomatology with alterations in sex hormone levels such as during pregnancy.

Innovation

Researchers at UCLA discovered that continuous combination dosing of an estrogen with a gestagen can lead to decreased severity of disease in patients with MS. MS Patients treated for 6 months exhibited a decrease in the total volume and number of enhancing lesions as measured by MRI scans. Patients also had a significant decrease in the levels of IFN-γ expressed by T cells in the blood following treatment.This invention shows promise for patients suffering from autoimmune diseases.

Applications

Treatment for autoimmune diseases

• Multiple sclerosis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Uveitis
• Myasthenia gravis
• Sjorgren’s syndrome
• Lupus

Advantages

Fewer side effects than other MS treatments, which are associated with flu-like symptoms, chest tightness, and local skin reactions

Patent Status

Related Materials

• Golden, L. C., & Voskuhl, R. (2017). The importance of studying sex differences in disease: The example of multiple sclerosis. Journal of neuroscience research, 95(1-2), 633-643.
• Spence, R. D., Wisdom, A. J., Cao, Y., Hill, H. M., Mongerson, C. R., Stapornkul, B., ... & Voskuhl, R. R. (2013). Estrogen mediates neuroprotection and anti-inflammatory effects during EAE through ERa signaling on astrocytes but not through ERß signaling on astrocytes or neurons. Journal of Neuroscience, 33(26), 10924-10933.
• Voskuhl, R. R., Wang, H., Wu, T. J., Sicotte, N. L., Nakamura, K., Kurth, F., ... & Cross, A. H. (2016). Estriol combined with glatiramer acetate for women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial. The Lancet Neurology, 15(1), 35-46.
• Kurth, F., Luders, E., Sicotte, N. L., Gaser, C., Giesser, B. S., Swerdloff, R. S., ... & Mackenzie-Graham, A. (2014). Neuroprotective effects of testosterone treatment in men with multiple sclerosis. NeuroImage: Clinical, 4, 454-460.