Vitamin D offers MS cases hope

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HELEN MCARDLE

the opening day of the MS Frontiers conference suggests the vitamin appears to play a role in guiding white blood cells, known as T cells, towards the brain. The study uses zebrafish, which have had one side of their brain damaged to mimic MS.

The fish– which are transparent – are then immersed in water enriched with vitamin D. The T cells in their bodies have also been engineered to glow fluorescent green so the researchers can observe their movement under a microscope and determine whether they migrate towards the damaged side of the brain.

So far the research, which is funded by the MS Society, has found vitamin D does appear to influence the movement of T cells in a test tube setting.

Early indications suggest the same pattern is occurring in the zebrafish.

Dr Anne Astier, a specialist in inflammation research at Edinburgh University, said: “We have been through the stage where we have the model working and, if we do injure the brain, we can see those green T cells moving towards the brain.

“If you look at some of the drugs already prescribed in MS, the principle is to block migration of aggressive T cells to the brain. They do that by targeting one of those molecules that is involved in the migration of those cells. We think vitamin D may do the same and if so, it might be easier just to give patients vitamin D rather than those drugs – but we don’t know that yet.”

Crucially, the scientists must find out which type of T cell vitamin D is interacting with in the zebrafish. There are three types: “helper” T cells, which boost the body’s immune response, “regulatory” T cells which dampen the immune response, and “killer” T cells which attack perceived toxins.

It is the regulatory T cells which vitamin D must harness to be useful in MS. This is because MS is widely considered to be an auto-immune disease caused when the sufferer’s own immune system turns on them, attacking the central nervous system and leading to disability.

Dr Astier added: “We do see the T cells moving to the brain but we don’t have the results yet to know whether the damaged part of the brain is being repaired. It depends what type of T cells are being guided there.

“If it’s the aggressive T cells they will create more inflammation; if we manage to drive in the regulatory T cells, then it it might be beneficial.”