Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) activity has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several central nervous system (CNS) disorders. For example, the presence of extensive poly(ADP)ribosylation in CNS tissues from animals with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) indicates that PARP activity may be involved in this inflammatory disease process. Using PJ34 [N-(6-oxo-5,6-dihydrophenant...

Connexins (Cx) are largely represented in the central nervous system (CNS) with 11 Cx isoforms forming intercellular channels. Moreover, in the CNS, Cx43 can form hemichannels (HCs) at non-junctional membrane as does the related channel-forming Pannexin1 (Panx1) and Panx2. Opening of Panx1 channels and Cx43 HCs appears to be involved in inflammation and has been documented in various CNS pathol...

Chemokines and their receptors govern physiologic and pathologic leukocyte trafficking. The function of the chemokine system may be of particular interest for hematogenous leukocyte infiltration of the central nervous system (CNS) because of the distinct character of CNS inflammation and the exquisite specificity with which the chemokine system regulates cellular migration events. This review s...

Microglia are intrinsic immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS). The under controlled microglia activation plays important roles in inflammatory demyelination diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the means to modulate microglia activation as a therapeutic modality and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here we show that administration of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (G...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the CNS thought to be driven by CNS-specific T lymphocytes. Although CD8(+) T cells are frequently found in multiple sclerosis lesions, their distinct role remains controversial because direct signs of cytotoxicity have not been confirmed in vivo. In the present work, we determined that murine ovalbumin-transgenic (OT-1) CD8(+) T cells recog...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease which is presented by environmental factors and genetic predisposition, increasingly affecting a large number of people worldwide. CNS inflammation is a local tissue response to stimulants and is characterized by induction of cytokines, chemokines and vascular permeability. Our goal in this study is to understand the micro-environmen...

Platelets are known to contribute to vascular pathologies, however, their role in inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and its mouse model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), is thus far poorly defined. Although there is emerging evidence that platelets might accumulate in the CNS parenchyma along with an increased activation ...