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At 05:20 23/01/98 -0500, Linda Carlton wrote: >Milo, It has been recognized as significant to MS. ========================================= I watch for anything about MS for a friend, so just happened to have this saved ... Monday January 19 Uric Acid May Treat Multiple Sclerosis NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Uric acid, a substance that naturally occurs in the body, has been shown to treat a disease in mice that is similar to multiple sclerosis (MS), leading researchers to hope that they can use the same or a similar compound in humans. In previous studies, researchers from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, determined that uric acid delayed the onset of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, an MS-like disease, in mice. In the new study, they found that uric acid also reduces symptoms of weakness and paralysis, and prolongs survival in mice that already have the disease. Uric acid works by inactivating peroxynitrite, a toxic compound that may cause damage to the central nervous system in MS patients. The researchers report Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they found lower levels of uric acid in the blood of MS patients than of people without the disease. They also reviewed records for 20 million people and found that the number suffering from both MS and gout, which features high uric acid levels, was markedly less than statistically predicted. It "appears that high serum uric acid levels protect against the development of MS," write the researchers. "These results raise the possibility that the natural biologic product, uric acid, or a more soluble peroxynitrite scavenger that penetrates the blood brain-barrier more readily... might have clinical utility in the treatment of MS," they conclude. SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (1998;95:675-680) Copyright © 1997 Reuters Limited. Judith Richards [log in to unmask]