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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Cell. Neurosci.
Sec. Non-Neuronal Cells
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1460262
This article is part of the Research Topic Roles of Neuroinflammation and Remyelination in Neurodegenerative Disorders View all articles

Exploring the Underlying Mechanisms of Exercise as Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis: Insights from Preclinical Studies

Provisionally accepted
Yunpeng Du Yunpeng Du 1Shuhan Dong Shuhan Dong 1*Wei Zou Wei Zou 2*
  • 1 Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
  • 2 First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system CNS characterized by demyelination, inflammation, and neurodegenerative changes, making it the most common nontraumatic disabling neurological disease in young adults. While current pharmacological treatments primarily target immunomodulation or immunosuppression, exercise is gaining increasing attention from the scientific community as an adjunctive therapy. This review explores the potential biological mechanisms of exercise in animal models of MS, focusing on its effects on neuroprotection and inflammation. The review examines how exercise inhibits pro-inflammatory microglial reactivity, stabilizes the blood-brain barrier, and enhances neurotrophic factor expression in animal studies. Future research directions are proposed by summarizing the evidence and limitations of existing animal models of MS, emphasizing the need to further validate these mechanisms in humans to better integrate exercise into the comprehensive management of MS. Additionally, investigating exercise-induced biomarkers for MS symptom reduction may provide a scientific basis for new therapeutic strategies.

    Keywords: Multiple Sclerosis, Exercise, mechanisms, animal, Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Multiple Sclerosis, Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

    Received: 05 Jul 2024; Accepted: 07 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Du, Dong and Zou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Shuhan Dong, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150040, Heilongjiang Province, China
    Wei Zou, First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.