This issue's Molecular Medicine Select describes recent progress in identifying pathways that dampen inflammation in multiple disease contexts including allergic skin reactions, demyelinating diseases, and neuro-degeneration. In addition to revealing new potential therapeutic targets, these efforts also put a spotlight on small molecules, including cannabinoids and compounds derived from omega-...

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the primary animal model used for studying multiple sclerosis (MS). Here we discuss 3 examples of molecular targets identified through studies of EAE and comment on their application in the treatment of MS. The anti-very late antigen 4 antibody, natalizumab, has shown marked therapeutic effects through the blockade of T-cell interactions with v...

In multiple sclerosis (MS) and in its animal model, Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE), autoagressive and regulatory cells traffic into the Central Nervous System (CNS), and may alter the course of the disease. Consequently the role of immunocompetent cells is major determinants in EAE pathogenesis for instance, CD4 T helper 1 cells, have been identified as a key element in determi...

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the animal model for multiple sclerosis. The present study underlines the importance of sodium phenylacetate (NaPA), a drug approved for urea cycle disorders, in inhibiting the disease process of adoptively transferred EAE in female SJL/J mice at multiple steps. Myelin basic protein (MBP)-primed T cells alone induced the expression of NO synthase...

Ibrutinib is a first-generation Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor that has shown efficacy in autoimmune diseases and consequently been developed as positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer. Herein, we report the automated radiosynthesis of [ 11 C]ibrutinib through C-carbonylation acrylamide functional group, by reaction secondary amine precursor with C]CO, iodoethylene, palladium–N...

After challenge with guiena pig basic protein (GPBP) Lewis (Le) rats, which are homozygous for the immune response experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (Ir-EAE) gene, developed positive delayed skin tests against GPBP and the 43 residue encephalitogenic fragment (EF); in addition, Le rat lymph node cells (LNC) were stimulated and produced migration inhibitory factor (MIF) when incubated in v...

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in various events underlying multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology. In the initial phase of lesion formation, ROS are known to mediate the transendothelial migration of monocytes and induce a dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In this study, we describe the beneficial effect of the antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid (LA) on these phenomena....