Shirole, Rahul Lotan, Khalane, Mohan Rajendra, Nage, Vijayeta Pralhad et al. · Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026 · DOI
This study tested a natural compound called diosgenin (found in fenugreek) to see if it could help with fatigue and depression-like symptoms in mice given a substance that triggered an immune response similar to what happens in ME/CFS. Mice treated with diosgenin showed improvements in activity levels, reduced fatigue-like behavior, and their brains had less inflammation and stress. The results suggest diosgenin might be worth investigating further as a potential treatment.
ME/CFS involves dysregulated immune function and neuroinflammation that current treatments do not effectively address. Identifying compounds that reduce inflammatory markers and improve fatigue-like symptoms in preclinical models may lead to new therapeutic targets. This work contributes to understanding how immune-mediated neuroinflammation drives fatigue symptoms.
This study does not prove diosgenin will be effective or safe in ME/CFS patients. LPS-induced acute illness in mice is not identical to the complex, chronic pathophysiology of ME/CFS in humans. The study shows correlation between reduced inflammation and improved symptoms in this specific model, but does not establish causation in human disease or translate mechanisms across species.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Shirole, Rahul Lotan, Khalane, Mohan Rajendra, Nage, Vijayeta Pralhad, Shirole, Nitin Lotan, Chawre, Sushil Vilas, Alsayari, Abdulrhman, et al. (2026). Immunomodulatory and locomotor regulations via Diosgenin treatment in lipopolysaccharide-induced chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/ depressive despair symptom: an in vivo assessment.. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-026-05263-3
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-shirole-2026-immunomodulatory-locomotor,
author = {Shirole, Rahul Lotan and Khalane, Mohan Rajendra and Nage, Vijayeta Pralhad and Shirole, Nitin Lotan and Chawre, Sushil Vilas and Alsayari, Abdulrhman and Wahab, Shadma and Bhunia, Adrija and Patil, Digvijay Kailas},
title = {Immunomodulatory and locomotor regulations via Diosgenin treatment in lipopolysaccharide-induced chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/ depressive despair symptom: an in vivo assessment.},
journal = {Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1007/s00210-026-05263-3},
note = {PubMed: 41915179},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/shirole-2026-immunomodulatory-locomotor},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/shirole-2026-immunomodulatory-locomotor
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