Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that results in motor and sensory deficits. Although MS and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), are thought to be T cell-mediated diseases, the mechanisms underlying the lesions in the CNS are not fully understood. We propose that a strong candidate as a central me...

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a CD4+ Th1-mediated demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that serves as a model for multiple sclerosis (MS). There are several considerations that suggest a role for chemokines in the disease process. First, chemokines are highly expressed in the central nervous system with a tight temporal relationship to disease activity. Secon...

Aberrant microglial responses contribute to neuroinflammation in many neurodegenerative diseases, but no current therapies target pathogenic microglia. We discovered unexpectedly that the antiviral drug ganciclovir (GCV) inhibits the proliferation of microglia in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model for multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as in kainic acid-induced excitot...

In multiple sclerosis (MS), soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is detrimental via activation of TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1), whereas transmembrane TNF is beneficial primarily by activating TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2). Here, we investigate the role of TNFR2 in microglia and monocytes/macrophages in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of MS, by cell-specific gene targeting. We show th...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative autoimmune disease of the CNS. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a commonly used murine model for MS. Here we report that CD137 ligand (CD137L, 4-1BB ligand, TNFS9), a member of the TNF superfamily, is critical for the development of EAE. EAE symptoms were significantly ameliorated in CD137L(-/-) mice. In the absence of CD137L, myelin o...

introduction: multiple sclerosis (ms) is a progressive and autoimmune neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (cns). this disease is renowned through symptoms like inflammation, demyelination and the damage of neurological actions. melittin is one of components of bee venom and has anti-neuroinflammatory effects. curcumin also, a dietary spice from turmeric, has outstanding anti...

BACKGROUND Therapeutic strategies that induce effective neuroprotection and enhance intrinsic repair mechanisms are central goals for future treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as other diseases. Laquinimod (LQ) is an orally administered, central nervous system (CNS)-active immunomodulator with demonstrated efficacy in MS clinical trials and a favorable safety and tolerability profile...

Oligodendrocyte-specific protein (OSP) is a recently isolated and cloned, 207-aa, hydrophobic, four-transmembrane protein found in CNS myelin. It represents approximately 7% of total myelin protein. The OSP cDNA sequence has no significant homology with previously reported genes, but the predicted protein structure suggests that OSP is a CNS homologue of peripheral myelin protein-22. We previou...

INTRODUCTION Anti-citrullinated protein antibodies have a diagnostic role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, little is known about their origins and contribution to pathogenesis. Citrullination is the post-translational conversion of arginine to citrulline by peptidyl arginine deiminase, and increased citrullination of proteins is observed in the joint tissue in RA and in brain tissue in mu...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells that differentiate into the mesenchymal lineages of adipocytes, osteocytes and chondrocytes. MSCs can also transdifferentiate and thereby cross lineage barriers, differentiating for example into neurons under certain experimental conditions. MSCs have anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects on neurons. Therefore, MSCs ...