Identification of the Kappa-Opioid Receptor as a Therapeutic Target for Oligodendrocyte Remyelination

Abstract

Remyelination represents a promising strategy to achieve functional recovery in demyelinating diseases, like MS. Thus, identification of potent compounds and targets that promote remyelination represents a critically unmet need. This study reports a cluster of compounds that are highly effective in enhancing remyelination and identifies κ-opioid receptor (KOR) as a positive regulator for oligodendroglial differentiation, implicating KOR agonism as a potential strategy to accelerate remyelination.