Immune Regulation – Transdermal Patch for MS being studied

The authors conducted a one-year placebo-controlled study of 30 people with relapsing-remitting MS who were treated transdermally with a mixture of three myelin peptides or placebo. The effects on the immune response in the skin, lymph nodes and peripheral blood were examined.

The investigators found that myelin peptides applied transdermally to people with MS activated dendritic Langerhans cells in the skin at the site of immunisation and induced a unique population of granular dendritic cells in local lymph nodes. In the periphery, type 1 and interleukin-10-producing regulatory T cells were produced, with suppression of specific autoreactive proliferative responses, and suppression of interferon-γ and transforming growth factor-β production. The results suggest that modulation of the immune system with transdermal immunisation with myelin peptides might be possible.

authors: Juryńczyk M, Walczak A, Jurewicz A, Jesionek-Kupnicka D, Szczepanik M, Selmaj K.

source: Ann Neurol. 2010 Nov;68(5):593-601.