Newly published research in the journal Glia has identified crucial links between dietary choices and the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, led by Patrizia Casaccia, founding director of the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center’s (CUNY ASRC) Neuroscience Initiative and Einstein Professor of Biology and Biochemistry at the CUNY Graduate Center, explored how enzymes called ceramide synthase 5 and 6 are responsible for the toxic effect of a palm oil-rich diet on neurons in the central nervous system, which causes a subsequent increase in the severity of MS symptoms.
MS is an inflammatory autoimmune disease marked by extensive damage to the insulating myelin sheath that protects nerves throughout the body. Current treatments focus on controlling the immune system’s response, but the precise mechanisms contributing to neurodegeneration in MS remain poorly understood. Previous work from the Casaccia lab and others had reported on the toxic effect of high-fat diet on the severity of MS symptoms. In their study, researchers explored potential mechanisms by which a diet rich in palm oil may hijack neuronal health.
Neuroprotection from palm oil-induced toxicity
Using the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of inflammatory demyelination, the research team found that diets high in palm oil led to a more severe disease course in mice.
We reasoned that inside neuronal cells, palm oil is converted into a toxic substance called C16 ceramide by specific enzymes called CerS5 and CerS6. This ceramide is responsible for inflicting mitochondrial damage, which deprives neurons of