scholarly journals A Mushroom Extract Piwep fromPhellinus igniariusAmeliorates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis by Inhibiting Immune Cell Infiltration in the Spinal Cord

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan Li ◽  
Guang Wu ◽  
Bo Young Choi ◽  
Bong Geom Jang ◽  
Jin Hee Kim ◽  
...  

The present study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of a mushroom extract fromPhellinus igniariusin an animal model of multiple sclerosis. The medicinal mushroom,Phellinus igniarius, contains biologically active compounds that modulate the human immune system. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced by immunization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG 35–55) in C57BL/6 female mice. A water-ethanol extract ofPhellinus igniarius(Piwep) was delivered intraperitoneally every other day for the entire experimental course. Three weeks after the initial immunization, demyelination and immune cell infiltration in the spinal cord were examined. Piwep injection profoundly decreased the daily incidence rate and clinical score of EAE. The Piwep-mediated inhibition of the clinical course of EAE was accompanied by suppression of demyelination and infiltration of encephalitogenic immune cells including CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, macrophages, and B cells in the spinal cord. Piwep reduced expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in the spinal cord and integrin-α4in the lymph node of EAE mice. Piwep also inhibited proliferation of lymphocytes and secretion of interferon-γin the lymph node of EAE mice. The results suggest that a mushroom extract, Piwep, may have a high therapeutic potential for ameliorating multiple sclerosis progression.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasunobu Arima ◽  
Daisuke Kamimura ◽  
Lavannya Sabharwal ◽  
Moe Yamada ◽  
Hidenori Bando ◽  
...  

The central nervous system (CNS) is an immune-privileged environment protected by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which consists of specific endothelial cells that are brought together by tight junctions and tight liner sheets formed by pericytes and astrocytic end-feet. Despite the BBB, various immune and tumor cells can infiltrate the CNS parenchyma, as seen in several autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), cancer metastasis, and virus infections. Aside from a mechanical disruption of the BBB like trauma, how and where these cells enter and accumulate in the CNS from the blood is a matter of debate. Recently, using experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS, we found a “gateway” at the fifth lumber cord where pathogenic autoreactive CD4+ T cells can cross the BBB. Interestingly, this gateway is regulated by regional neural stimulations that can be mechanistically explained by the gate theory. In this review, we also discuss this theory and its potential for treating human diseases.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haritha L Desu ◽  
Melanie Plastini ◽  
Placido Illiano ◽  
Helen M Bramlett ◽  
W. Dalton Dietrich ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The inflammasome adaptor apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC) is involved in immune signaling by bridging the interactions between inflammasome sensors and caspase-1. Strong experimental evidence has shown that ASC-/- mice are protected from disease progression in animal models of multiple sclerosis (MS), suggesting that targeting inflammasome activation via ASC inhibition may be a promising therapeutic strategy in MS. Thus, the goal of our study is to test the efficacy of IC100, a novel humanized antibody targeting ASC, in preventing and/or suppressing disease in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of MS. Methods We employed the EAE model of MS where disease was induced by immunization of C57BL/6 mice with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide 35-55 (MOG35-55). Mice were treated with vehicle or increasing doses of IC100 (10, 30 and 45 mg/kg) and clinical disease course was evaluated up to 35 days post EAE induction. Immune cell infiltration into the spinal cord and microglia responses were assessed.Results We show that IC100 treatment reduced the severity of EAE when compared to vehicle-treated controls. At a dose of 30 mg/kg, IC100 significantly reduced the number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and CD11b+MHCII+ activated myeloid cells entering the spinal cord from the periphery, and reduced the number of total and activated microglia. Conclusions These data indicate that IC100 suppresses the immune-inflammatory response that drives EAE development and progression, thereby identifying ASC as a promising target for the treatment of MS as well as other neurological diseases with a neuroinflammatory component.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haritha L Desu ◽  
Melanie Plastini ◽  
Placido Illiano ◽  
Helen M Bramlett ◽  
W. Dalton Dietrich ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The inflammasome adaptor apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC) is involved in immune signaling by bridging the interactions between inflammasome sensors and caspase-1. Strong experimental evidence has shown that ASC -/- mice are protected from disease progression in animal models of multiple sclerosis (MS), suggesting that targeting inflammasome activation via ASC inhibition may be a promising therapeutic strategy in MS. Thus, the goal of our study is to test the efficacy of IC100, a novel humanized antibody targeting ASC, in preventing and/or suppressing disease in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of MS.Methods We employed the EAE model of MS where disease was induced by immunization of C57BL/6 mice with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide 35-55 (MOG 35-55 ). Mice were treated with vehicle or increasing doses of IC100 (10, 30 and 45 mg/kg) and clinical disease course was evaluated up to 35 days post EAE induction. Immune cell infiltration into the spinal cord and microglia responses were assessed.Results We show that IC100 treatment reduced the severity of EAE when compared to vehicle-treated controls. At a dose of 30 mg/kg, IC100 significantly reduced the number of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells and CD11b + MHCII + activated myeloid cells entering the spinal cord from the periphery, and reduced the number of total and activated microglia.Conclusions These data indicate that IC100 suppresses the immune-inflammatory response that drives EAE development and progression, thereby identifying ASC as a promising target for the treatment of MS as well as other neurological diseases with a neuroinflammatory component.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daekwon Bae ◽  
Ji-Young Lee ◽  
Nina Ha ◽  
Jinsol Park ◽  
Jiyeon Baek ◽  
...  

AbstractDespite advances in therapeutic strategies for multiple sclerosis (MS), the therapy options remain limited with various adverse effects. Here, the therapeutic potential of CKD-506, a novel HDAC6-selective inhibitor, against MS was evaluated in mice with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein35–55 (MOG35–55)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) under various treatment regimens. CKD-506 exerted prophylactic and therapeutic effects by regulating peripheral immune responses and maintaining blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity. In MOG35–55-re-stimulated splenocytes, CKD-506 decreased proliferation and downregulated the expression of IFN-γ and IL-17A. CKD-506 downregulated the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood of EAE mice. Additionally, CKD-506 decreased the leakage of intravenously administered Evans blue into the spinal cord; CD4+ T cells and CD4−CD11b+CD45+ macrophage/microglia in the spinal cord was also decreased. Moreover, CKD-506 exhibited therapeutic efficacy against MS, even when drug administration was discontinued from day 15 post-EAE induction. Disease exacerbation was not observed when fingolimod was changed to CKD-506 from day 15 post-EAE induction. CKD-506 alleviated depression-like behavior at the pre-symptomatic stage of EAE. In conclusion, CKD-506 exerts therapeutic effects by regulating T cell- and macrophage-mediated peripheral immune responses and strengthening BBB integrity. Our results suggest that CKD-506 is a potential therapeutic agent for MS.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 284-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A Lefeuvre ◽  
Joseph R Guy ◽  
Nicholas J Luciano ◽  
Seung-Kwon Ha ◽  
Emily Leibovitch ◽  
...  

Background: Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in the common marmoset is a nonhuman primate model of multiple sclerosis (MS) that shares numerous clinical, radiological, and pathological features with MS. Among the clinical features are motor and sensory deficits that are highly suggestive of spinal cord (SC) damage. Objective: To characterize the extent and nature of SC damage in symptomatic marmosets with EAE using a combined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histopathology approach. Materials and Methods: SC tissues from five animals were scanned using 7 T MRI to collect high-resolution ex vivo images. Lesions were segmented and classified based on shape, size, and distribution along the SC. Tissues were processed for histopathological characterization (myelin and microglia/macrophages). Statistical analysis, using linear mixed-effects models, evaluated the association between MRI and histopathology. Results: Marmosets with EAE displayed two types of SC lesions: focal and subpial lesions. Both lesion types were heterogeneous in size and configuration and corresponded to areas of marked demyelination with high density of inflammatory cells. Inside the lesions, the MRI signal was significantly correlated with myelin content ( p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings underscore the relevance of this nonhuman primate EAE model for better understanding mechanisms of MS lesion formation in the SC.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjun Zhu ◽  
Crystal Acosta ◽  
Brian MacNeil ◽  
Claudia Cortes ◽  
Howard Intrater ◽  
...  

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system (CNS) disease resulting from a targeted autoimmune-mediated attack on myelin proteins in the CNS. The release of Th1 inflammatory mediators in the CNS activates macrophages, antibodies, and microglia resulting in myelin damage and the induction of neuropathic pain (NPP). Molecular signaling through fractalkine (CX3CL1), a nociceptive chemokine, via its receptor (CX3CR1) is thought to be associated with MS-induced NPP. An experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of MS was utilized to assess time dependent gene and protein expression changes of CX3CL1 and CX3CR1. Results revealed significant increases in mRNA and the protein expression of CX3CL1 and CX3CR1 in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and spinal cord (SC) 12 days after EAE induction compared to controls. This increased expression correlated with behavioural thermal sensory abnormalities consistent with NPP. Furthermore, this increased expression correlated with the peak neurological disability caused by EAE induction. This is the first study to identify CX3CL1 signaling through CX3CR1 via the DRG /SC anatomical connection that represents a critical pathway involved in NPP induction in an EAE model of MS.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaowei Wang ◽  
Liping Wang ◽  
Fangfang Zhong ◽  
Chenglong Wu ◽  
Sheng-Tao Hou

AbstractAlthough substantial evidence supports smoking as a risk factor for the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) in adulthood, it remains controversial as to whether early-life exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) increases the risk of MS later in life. Here, using experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) as an animal model for MS, we show that exposing neonatal rats during the 1st week (ETS1-EAE), but not the 2nd week (ETS2-EAE) and the 3rd week (ETS3-EAE) after birth, increased the severity of EAE in adulthood in comparison to pups exposed to filtered compressed air (AIR-EAE). The EST1-EAE rats showed a worse neurological deficit score and a significant increase in CD4+ cell infiltration, demyelination, and axonal injury in the spinal cord compared to AIR-EAE, ETS2-EAE, and ETS3-EAE groups. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the ETS1 group had decreased numbers of regulatory T (Treg) cells and increased effector T (Teff) cells in the brain and spinal cord. The expressions of Treg upstream regulator Foxp3 and downstream cytokines such as IL-10 were also altered accordingly. Together, these findings demonstrate that neonatal ETS exposure suppresses Treg functions and aggravates the severity of EAE, confirming early-life exposure to EST as a potential risk factor for multiple sclerosis in adulthood.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengmeng Dou ◽  
Xueliang Zhou ◽  
Lifeng Li ◽  
Mingliang Zhang ◽  
Wenbin Wang ◽  
...  

The etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) is not clear, and the treatment of MS presents a great challenge. This study aimed to investigate the pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets of MS and to define target genes of matrine, a quinolizidine alkaloid component derived from the root of Sophorae flavescens that effectively suppressed experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS. To this end, the GSE108000 gene data set in the Gene Expression Omnibus Database, which included 7 chronic active MS lesions and 10 control samples of white matter, was analyzed for differentially expressed genes (DEGs). X cell was used to analyze the microenvironmental differences in brain tissue samples of MS patients, including 64 types of immune cells and stromal cells. The biological functions and enriched signaling pathways of DEGs were analyzed by multiple approaches, including GO, KEGG, GSEA, and GSVA. The results by X cell showed significantly increased numbers of immune cell populations in the MS lesions, with decreased erythrocytes, megakaryocytes, adipocytes, keratinocytes, endothelial cells, Th1 cells and Tregs. In GSE108000, there were 637 DEGs, including 428 up-regulated and 209 down-regulated genes. Potential target genes of matrine were then predicted by the network pharmacology method of Traditional Chinese medicine, and 12 key genes were obtained by cross analysis of the target genes of matrine and DEGs in MS lesions. Finally, we confirmed by RT-PCR the predicted expression of these genes in brain tissues of matrine-treated EAE mice. Among these genes, 2 were significantly downregulated and 6 upregulated by matrine treatment, and the significance of this gene regulation was further investigated. In conclusion, our study defined several possible matrine target genes, which can be further elucidated as mechanism(s) of matrine action, and novel targets in the treatment of MS.


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