Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex multifactorial disease that results from the interplay between environmental factors and a susceptible genetic background. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) has been widely used to investigate the mechanisms underlying MS pathogenesis. Chemokines, such as CCL2, are involved in the development of EAE. We have previously shown that thiamine defic...

To elucidate the role of innate immunity in susceptibility to the animal model of multiple sclerosis, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), we induced EAE by immunization with spinal cord homogenate (SCH) plus complete Freund adjuvant or carbonyl iron in 3 inbred rat strains. Lewis are considered "susceptible," PVG/c-Rt7a (PVG) as "semisusceptible," and Brown Norway (BN) as "resistan...

Previously, we demonstrated that electroacupuncture (EA) decreased lymphocyte infiltration into the spinal cords of rats presenting with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a disease model used in the study of multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of EA on the EAE. Female Lewis rats were divided into either CFA, EAE, EA, or injection with na...

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a rodent model of multiple sclerosis that is executed in animals by immunization with myelin Ag in adjuvant. The SJL/J autoimmune-prone strain of mouse has been used to model relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. However, significant variations in peak scores, timing of onset, and incidence are observed among laboratories, with the postacute ...

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenol that activates SIRT1, an NAD-dependent deacetylase. SRT501, a pharmaceutical formulation of resveratrol with enhanced systemic absorption, prevents neuronal loss without suppressing inflammation in mice with relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of multiple sclerosis (MS). In contrast, resveratrol has been reported to ...

B cells are increasingly regarded as integral to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis, in part as a result of the success of B cell-depletion therapy. Multiple B cell-dependent mechanisms contributing to inflammatory demyelination of the CNS have been explored using experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a CD4 T cell-dependent animal model for multiple sclerosis. Although B cell Ag ...

Magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method which may detect demyelination not detected by conventional MRI in the central nervous system of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). A decrease in MTR value has previously been shown to correlate to myelin loss in the mouse cuprizone model for demyelination. In this study, we investigated the sensitivity of MTR f...

Early vaccinations against viral diseases such as rabies occasionally resulted in “paralytic accidents”—central nervous system (CNS) complications in which inflammatory cells invaded the brain and demyelinating lesions ensued (1). These complications were widely attributed to an incomplete inactivation of the vaccine virus, which was grown in rabbit brain tissues. But there was another possible...

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...