Pharmacological Complementation Remedies an Inborn Error of Lipid Metabolism.

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a rare, genetic disease in which increased very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) in the central nervous system (CNS) cause demyelination and axonopathy, leading to neurological deficits. Sobetirome, a potent thyroid hormone agonist, has been shown to lower VLCFAs in the periphery and CNS. In this study, two pharmacological strategies for enhancing the effects of sobetirome were tested in Abcd1 KO mice, a murine model with the same inborn error of metabolism as X-ALD patients.

Myelin repair stimulated by CNS-selective thyroid hormone action.

Oligodendrocyte processes wrap axons to form neuroprotective myelin sheaths, and damage to myelin in disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), leads to neurodegeneration and disability. There are currently no approved treatments for MS that stimulate myelin repair. During development, thyroid hormone (TH) promotes myelination through enhancing oligodendrocyte differentiation; however, TH itself is unsuitable as a remyelination therapy due to adverse systemic effects.