Researchers have identified a potential treatment to delay motor neuron loss and symptoms in the inevitably fatal motor neuron disease (MND).

Researchers said triheptanoin, a synthetic triglyceride oil, might help to address problems with energy metabolism associated with the neurodegenerative disease.

The research, published in PLOS ONE, tested if giving oral triheptanoin could prevent cell death and symptom onset in an animal model of MND.

“We found that motor neuron loss was reduced by a third and loss of limb strength and body weight were delayed,” said Dr Karin Borge, one of the authors of the study. “Our data showed an improvement in disease symptoms when treatment was initiated prior to their onset. This raises hope that triheptanoin may be able to preserve motor neuron and muscle function when treatment is started at an early stage of the disease.”

Paper: “Triheptanoin Protects Motor Neurons and Delays the Onset of Motor Symptoms in a Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis”

Reprinted from materials provided by the University of Queensland.

10 listopada, 2016