Substances tested

What has been given to the oligodendrocyte, and what the oligodendrocyte did. Research reference, not medical advice.

All substances 14

Clemastine fumarate antihistamine with antimuscarinic action

acts on muscarinic receptors (M1 and M3)

Promotes oligodendrocyte precursor differentiation and remyelination. In the ReBUILD crossover trial the primary endpoint was met: visual evoked potential latency delay reduced by 1.7 ms per eye (95% CI 0.5 to 2.9, p = 0.0048); fatigue was associated, no serious adverse events.

dose: trial dose not stated in the abstract · human, 50 patients with multiple sclerosis · randomised double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial, 150 days · Green AJ et al. 2017, Lancet · source

Clemastine antihistamine with antimuscarinic action

acts on muscarinic receptors, ERK1/2, Myrf and Olig2

Promotes OPC differentiation through muscarinic receptors and ERK1/2 activation with increased Myrf and Olig2; blocked by ERK inhibition (U0126) and reduced by the muscarinic agonist cevimeline.

dose: not stated in the abstract · rat, spinal cord injury · in vivo pharmacology · Tong LY et al. 2022, Front Pharmacol · source

Antimuscarinic compounds (screen) muscarinic antagonists

acts on muscarinic receptors

Screening 1,000 bioactive molecules on micropillar arrays identified a cluster of antimuscarinic compounds that enhance oligodendrocyte differentiation and remyelination.

dose: screen concentrations not stated in the abstract · rodent OPCs in vitro (species not stated in the abstract) · high-throughput micropillar screen · Mei F et al. 2014, Nat Med · source

Benztropine anticholinergic

acts on direct antagonism of M1 and/or M3 muscarinic receptors

Among the most effective compounds in an image-based screen for myelin basic protein expression; decreases clinical severity in EAE alone or with approved immunosuppressants; efficacy from enhanced remyelination, not immune suppression (cuprizone model, T-cell assays).

dose: not stated in the abstract · rat optic nerve OPCs in vitro; mouse EAE and cuprizone models · screen plus in vivo models · Deshmukh VA et al. 2013, Nature · source

Miconazole antifungal

acts on mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling in OPCs

Increases new oligodendrocytes and enhances remyelination in lysolecithin lesions; reverses disease severity at the peak of EAE; acts directly as a remyelinating drug with no immune effect; enhances human oligodendrocyte generation from human OPCs in vitro.

dose: not stated in the abstract · mouse; human cells in vitro · in vivo lesion models and in vitro · Najm FJ et al. 2015, Nature · source

Clobetasol glucocorticoid

acts on glucocorticoid receptor signalling in OPCs

Same remyelinating effects as miconazole in lysolecithin and EAE models, and a potent immunosuppressant as well; enhances human oligodendrocyte generation in vitro.

dose: not stated in the abstract · mouse; human cells in vitro · in vivo lesion models and in vitro · Najm FJ et al. 2015, Nature · source

Metformin antidiabetic

acts on aged OPCs (mechanism beyond the abstract not claimed here)

Restores CNS remyelination capacity by rejuvenating aged OPCs, which had become unresponsive to pro-differentiation signals.

dose: not stated in the abstract · aged rodents · in vivo · Neumann B et al. 2019, Cell Stem Cell · source

Opicinumab anti-LINGO-1 monoclonal antibody

acts on LINGO-1

In acute optic neuritis (RENEW), the visual evoked potential latency benefit over placebo was greatest in participants aged 33 or older (-14.17 ms, p = 0.01) and absent below 33 (-0.89 ms, p = 0.87); latency recovery associated with less retinal ganglion cell layer thinning.

dose: not stated in the abstract · human, 33 treated and 36 placebo · randomised trial, per-protocol analysis · Cadavid D et al. 2018, Ann Clin Transl Neurol · source

Adenosine neuron-glial transmitter

acts on adenosine receptors on OPCs

Released in response to action potential firing; inhibits OPC proliferation, stimulates differentiation and promotes myelin formation.

dose: not stated in the abstract · not stated in the abstract · in vitro co-culture and electrophysiology · Stevens B et al. 2002, Neuron · source

Nicotine nicotinic agonist

acts on neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (alpha3, alpha4, alpha5, alpha7, beta2, beta4 subunits) on OPCs

About 65 percent of O2A/OPCs raise intracellular calcium on nicotine; 37 percent show calcium oscillations at 20 to 30 s intervals over 2 to 3 min, blocked by the alpha4 beta2 antagonist dihydro-beta-erythroidine or nifedipine.

dose: not stated in the abstract · rat corpus callosum OPCs · RT-PCR, immunocytochemistry, FURA-2 calcium imaging · Rogers SW et al. 2001, Glia · source

Dopamine (quinpirole, D3 agonist) dopaminergic

acts on dopamine D3 receptor, expressed in differentiating oligodendrocytes but not mature ones

20 uM quinpirole decreased the number of O1-positive oligodendrocytes with myelin-like membranes and increased precursors at 14 days in vitro; prevented by haloperidol.

dose: 20 uM quinpirole · not stated in the abstract (cultured oligodendrocyte precursors) · culture, immunocytochemistry, confocal microscopy · Bongarzone ER et al. 1998, J Neurosci · source

Acetylcholine (muscarinic M3 signalling) endogenous transmitter

acts on muscarinic M3 receptor on OPCs

M3R signalling delays differentiation and remyelination in human OPCs; conditional M3R ablation in adult NG2 OPCs increased oligodendrocyte differentiation and improved spontaneous remyelination.

dose: genetic ablation, no dose · human OPCs and mouse · genetics, in vivo · Welliver RR et al. 2018, J Neurosci · source

Glutamate endogenous transmitter

acts on AMPA-type glutamate receptors at neuron-to-OPC synapses

Neurons form glutamatergic synapses onto OPCs in the hippocampus.

dose: synaptic · rat · electrophysiology and electron microscopy · Bergles DE et al. 2000, Nature · source

GABA endogenous transmitter

acts on GABA-A receptors at interneuron-to-OPC synapses

Interneurons form GABAergic synapses onto OPCs in the hippocampus.

dose: synaptic · rat · electrophysiology · Lin SC, Bergles DE 2004, Nat Neurosci · source

Every row rests on a PubMed abstract read in full by golden.goose on 2026-09-12; a dose not stated in the abstract is written as such, never guessed. Research reference, not medical advice.