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MINI REVIEW article
Front. Cell. Neurosci.
Sec. Cellular Neuropathology
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fncel.2025.1582902
This article is part of the Research TopicExpanding the Glial Frontiers: Development, Function and PathophysiologyView all articles
The potential of repurposing clemastine to promote remyelination
Provisionally accepted- Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan
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White matter in the central nervous system comprises bundled nerve fibers myelinated by oligodendrocytes. White matter injury, characterized by the loss of oligodendrocytes and myelin, is common after ischemic brain injury, inflammatory demyelinating diseases including multiple sclerosis, and traumatic damage such as spinal cord injury. Currently, no therapies have been confirmed to promote remyelination in these diseases. Over the past decade, various reports have suggested that the anti-muscarinic drug clemastine can stimulate remyelination by oligodendrocytes. Consequently, the repurposing of clemastine as a potential treatment for a variety of neurological disorders has gained significant attention. The therapeutic effects of clemastine have been demonstrated in various animal models, and its mechanisms of action in various neurological disorders are currently being investigated. In this review, we summarize reports relating to clemastine administration for white matter injury and neurological disease and discuss the therapeutic potential of remyelination promotion.
Keywords: remyelination, oligodendrocyte, Clemastine, white matter injury, Drug Repositioning
Received: 25 Feb 2025; Accepted: 17 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yamazaki and Ohno. 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: Reiji Yamazaki, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan
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.