New cellular model to study multiple sclerosis progression

Researchers in Lleida have developed a new cellular model that allows the microglia of patients with multiple sclerosis to be studied to see how they respond to drugs to slow the progression of the disease. The Neuroimmunology group at the University of Lleida (UdL) and the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Lleida (IRBLleida), led by the neurologist at the Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital in Lleida and professor at the UdL, Luis Brieva, has promoted this research to study microglia individually in more advanced stages of the disease. Microglia are a group of cells that come from the bone marrow and are found in all regions of the central nervous system. The research has been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease characterised by demyelination (loss of myelin, the protective coating of neurons) and neuroinflammation. One of the key factors in this disease is oxidative stress, which can damage cells and aggravate brain damage. This study has investigated how cells respond to myelin debris under different oxidative conditions. To achieve this, the researchers oxidised myelin with a peroxide-based baking system and confirmed the oxidation with specific markers.

Analysis of the shape and behaviour of microglia revealed that the way these cells process myelin changes according to time and dose, and that oxidised myelin alters the dynamics of phagosomes (organelles responsible for degrading substances inside cells).

'This model could be very useful for personalised medicine, as it allows us to analyse how the cells of a specific patient respond to oxidative damage and thus develop treatments adapted to each case,' said one of the researchers, Pascual Torres. In summary, this study highlights the impact of the oxidative state of myelin on the functioning of microglia and opens the door to new strategies to better understand and treat oxidative stress in multiple sclerosis, an important step towards personalised medicine in neuroinflammation.

The project has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and European NextGeneration funds.

Artículo de referencia: Santacreu-Vilaseca, M., Moreno-Magallon, J., Juanes-Casado, A., Gil-Sánchez, A., González-Mingot, C., Torres, P., & Brieva, L. (2025). Novel Cell Models to Study Myelin and Micròglia Interactions. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(5), 2179. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26052179