Adhesion and hemifusion of cytoplasmic myelin lipid membranes are highly dependent on the lipid composition

We report the effects of calcium ions on the adhesion and hemifusion mechanisms of model supported myelin lipid bilayer membranes of differing lipid composition. As in our previous studies Min et al. [1,2], the lipid compositions used mimic "healthy" and "diseased-like" (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, EAE) membranes. Our results show that the interaction forces as a function of membrane separation distance are well described by a generic model that also (and in particular) includes the hydrophobic interaction arising from the hydrophobically exposed (interior) parts of the bilayers. The model is able to capture the mechanical instability that triggers the onset of the hemifusion event, and highlights the primary role of the hydrophobic interaction in membrane fusion. The effects of lipid composition on the fusion mechanism, and the adhesion forces between myelin lipid bilayers, can be summarized as follows: in calcium-free buffer, healthy membranes do not present any signs of adhesion or hemifusion, while diseased membranes hemifuse easily. Addition of 2mM calcium favors adhesion and hemifusion of the membranes independently of their composition, but the mechanisms involved in the two processes were different: healthy bilayers systematically presented stronger adhesion forces and lower energy barriers to fusion compared to diseased bilayers. These results are of particular relevance for understanding lesion development (demyelination, swelling, vacuolization and/or vesiculation) in myelin associated diseases such as multiple sclerosis and its relationship to lipid domain formation in myelin membranes.     

Lipid microarrays identify key mediators of autoimmune brain inflammation

Recent studies suggest that increased T-cell and autoantibody reactivity to lipids may be present in the autoimmune demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis. To perform large-scale multiplex analysis of antibody responses to lipids in multiple sclerosis, we developed microarrays composed of lipids present in the myelin sheath, including ganglioside, sulfatide, cerebroside, sphingomyelin and total brain lipid fractions. Lipid-array analysis showed lipid-specific antibodies against sulfatide, sphingomyelin and oxidized lipids in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) derived from individuals with multiple sclerosis. Sulfatide-specific antibodies were also detected in SJL/J mice with acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Immunization of mice with sulfatide plus myelin peptide resulted in a more severe disease course of EAE, and administration of sulfatide-specific antibody exacerbated EAE. Thus, autoimmune responses to sulfatide and other lipids are present in individuals with multiple sclerosis and in EAE, and may contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune demyelination.     

Myelin metabolism in vitro in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis

Abstract— Spinal cord slices from rats in different stages of allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) were incubated with [U-¹⁴C]glucose. Normal rats and rats injected with Freund's adjuvant served as controls. The slices were fractionated by a discontinuous sucrose gradient into purified myelin and a heavy membrane residue, the lipids and proteins were extracted, and their specific activities were determined. Uptake of ¹⁴C into myelin lipids was depressed in the rats with acute EAE, while an increase was shown in myelin protein and heavy membrane lipids and proteins. The increased synthesis in non-myelin fractions was ascribed to invasion of metabolically active cells. The depression in myelin lipid synthesis occurred early in the disease before lesions appeared or the inflammatory reaction became widespread. Myelin from guinea pigs with acute EAE resulting from injection of a purified basic protein also showed a depression of uptake in both lipids and proteins. It is suggested that a metabolic insult as a result of the immunological process is dealt the oligodendroglial cells early in the course of the disease which leads to a weakening of the myelin sheath and subsequent phagocytosis of myelin.     

Disturbance of lipid composition in spinal cord of rabbits with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis

EAE in rabbits was induced by means of inocculation of purified myelin of homologous spinal cord with complete Freund's adjuvant. The content of all the major lipid classes was studied by biochemical and histochemical methods in the different parts of spinal cord and in the brain stem in combination with morphological control for the demyelinating process presence. The most expressed myelin damage was found in the lumbar and sacral parts of spinal cord. In the same parts the content of phospholipids, cerebrosides, and free cholesterol decreased and cholesterol esters were shown to accumulate. Histochemical analysis supported these findings and revealed that the loss of lipids occured directly in the demyelination foci. Changes in total ganglioside content and in ganglioside fractions ratio were not observed. In the brain stem neither morphological, nor biochemical changes were found. On the basis of these data it was concluded that pathological processes of periaxonal demyelination, induced by the sensitization with purified myelin, have not damaged neuronal structures and not involved the brain.Special Issue dedicated to Dr. Eugene Kreps.     

Lipid changes in central nervous system membranes in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE)

Lipid composition of myelin fractions isolated from Lewis rats during the early stage of the development of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) were determined by high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). When comparing the myelin fractions of EAE-affected animals with those of controls, the main differences were observed in the light fraction, where a decrease in the percentage of phospholipids (PH) relative to the total lipids was observed. These findings give further support that the light myelin fraction being the most sensitive at the onset of clinical symptoms must play a key role in demyelinating process.Abbreviations used EAE experimental allergic encephalomyelitis - PH phospholipids - CH cholesterol - GL galactolipid - PE phosphatidylethanolamine - SPM sphingomyelin - PC phosphatidylcholine - PS phosphatidylserine - PI phosphatidylinositol - CB cerebroside - CB-OH hydroxy-cerebroside - SULF sulfatides - BP basic proteins     

Magnetization transfer ratio does not correlate to myelin content in the brain in the MOG-EAE mouse model

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 for demyelination in the myelin oligodendrocyte (MOG) 1–125 induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model. A total of 24 female c57Bl/6 mice were randomized to a control group (N = 6) or EAE (N = 18). MTR images were obtained at a preclinical 7 Tesla Bruker MR-scanner before EAE induction (baseline), 17–19 days (midpoint) and 31–32 days (endpoint) after EAE induction. Mean MTR values were calculated in five regions of the brain and compared to weight, EAE severity score and myelin content assessed by immunostaining for proteolipid protein and luxol fast blue, lymphocyte and monocyte infiltration and iron deposition. Contrary to what was expected, MTR values in the EAE mice were higher than in the control mice at the midpoint and endpoint. No significant difference in myelin content was found according to histo- or immunohistochemistry. Changes in MTR values did not correlate to myelin content, iron content, lymphocyte or monocyte infiltration, weight or EAE severity scores. This suggest that MTR measures of brain tissue can give significant differences between control mice and EAE mice not caused by demyelination, inflammation or iron deposition, and may not be useful surrogate markers for demyelination in the MOG1-125 mouse model.     

A monoclonal antibody against a myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein induces relapses and demyelination in central nervous system autoimmune disease

The factors contributing to chronic relapsing inflammatory disease processes of the central nervous system (CNS) and demyelination are poorly understood. In addition to cellular immune reactions, humoral factors such as antibodies might quantitatively or qualitatively influence the disease process. We therefore investigated the effects of administration of a monoclonal antibody specific for a CNS autoantigen on both acute and chronic experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice and rats. This monoclonal antibody, 8-18C5, specific for a myelin/oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, was observed to accelerate clinical and pathologic changes of CNS autoimmune disease. In SJL mice with chronic relapsing EAE, injection of antibody into animals recovering from an attack induced fatal relapses; in Lewis rats, acute EAE was enhanced and associated with a hyperacute inflammatory response with demyelination, a feature not commonly seen in acute EAE. The demonstration that relapses and demyelination can be induced by administration of a white matter-reactive monoclonal antibody offers new possibilities to study processes resulting in CNS damage during autoimmune disease. Furthermore, these findings support the immunopathogenic potential of antibody to myelin components in inflammatory CNS disease processes and, specifically, in causing demyelination.     

Correlation Between 2'',3''-Cyclic Nucleotide 3''-Phosphohydrolase Activity and Demyelination In Vitro Using a Syngeneic System

Cultures of myelinated SJL/J fetal mouse spinal cord were incubated with serum and lymphoid cells from syngeneic animals with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by syngeneic spinal cord homogenate (SSCH) in complete Freund's adjuvant or others injected with complete Freund's adjuvant alone. After 24 or 48 h of exposure, demyelination was determined by light microscopic examination and quantification of 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase activity. Cultures exposed to spleen or lymph node cells from SSCH-sensitized animals showed the greatest alterations in myelin and decreases in 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase activity whereas serum from these animals had less effect. Cells and serum from complete Freund's adjuvant-injected control animals also induced structural changes in myelin that were significantly less than changes induced by cells and serum from animals with EAE. These experiments show that lymphoid cells and serum obtained from SJL/J mice with acute EAE affected myelin biochemistry and morphology in syngeneic CNS cultures.     

Ellagic acid protects from myelin-associated sphingolipid loss in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the most common model for multiple sclerosis, is characterized by inflammatory cell infiltration into the central nervous system and demyelination. Previous studies have demonstrated that administration of some polyphenols may reduce the neurological alterations of EAE. In this work, we show that ellagic acid, a polyphenolic compound, is beneficial in EAE, most likely through stimulation of ceramide biosynthesis within the brain. EAE was induced in Lewis rats by injection of guinea-pig spinal cord tissue along with Freund's complete adjuvant containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Clinical signs first appeared at day 8 post-immunization and reached a peak within 3?days, coincident with reduction of myelin basic protein (MBP) in the cortex. Sphingolipids, the other major components of myelin, also decreased at the acute phase of EAE, both in the cerebral cortex and in the spinal cord. In rats receiving ellagic acid in the drinking water from 2?days before immunization, the onset of the disease was delayed and clinical signs were reduced. This amelioration of clinical signs was accompanied by sustained levels of both MBP and sphingolipid in the cortex, without apparent changes in infiltration of inflammatory CD3+ T-cells, microglial activation, or weight loss, which together suggest a neuroprotective effect of ellagic acid. Finally, in glioma and oligodendroglioma cells we demonstrate that urolithins, the ellagic acid metabolites that circulate in plasma, stimulate the synthesis of ceramide. Together these data suggest that ellagic acid consumption protects against demyelination in rats with induced EAE, likely by a mechanism involving sphingolipid synthesis.     

Lipid Droplets in Schwann Cells During Tellurium Neuropathy Are Derived from Newly Synthesized Lipid

Exposure of weanling rats to a diet containing elemental tellurium results in a peripheral neuropathy characterized by segmental demyelination and minimal axonal degeneration. One of the earliest ultrastructural abnormalities in tellurium neuropathy is an increased number of cytoplasmic lipid droplets in myelinating Schwann cells. The pathogenesis of these lipid droplets was investigated using light and electron microscopic autoradiography. Nerve lipids were either "prelabeled" with [3H]acetate via in vivo intraneural injection 3 days before a 2-day exposure to tellurium, or "postlabeled" via in vivo intraneural injection or in vitro incubation with [3H]acetate following a 2-day exposure to tellurium. In the prelabeled nerves, myelin became heavily labeled, but the tellurium-induced cytoplasmic lipid droplets were rarely labeled. In the postlabeled nerves, the tellurium-induced cytoplasmic lipid droplets were the most heavily labeled structures within the nerve. These data indicate that the tellurium-induced lipid droplets in Schwann cells are derived from newly synthesized lipid rather than from the early breakdown and internalization of myelin lipids. The earliest biochemical abnormality observed in tellurium neuropathy is an inhibition of cholesterol synthesis at the squalene epoxidase step. This leads to an accumulation of squalene within the nerve. We conclude that the cytoplasmic lipid droplets in Schwann cells contain this accumulated lipid.     

Apoptosis of oligodendrocytes via Fas and TNF-R1 is a key event in the induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

In experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple sclerosis, immunization with myelin Ags leads to demyelination and paralysis. To investigate which molecules are crucial for the pathogenesis of EAE, we specifically assessed the roles of the death receptors Fas and TNF-R1. Mice lacking Fas expression in oligodendrocytes (ODCs) were generated and crossed to TNF-R1-deficient mice. To achieve specific deletion of a loxP-flanked fas allele in ODCs, we generated a new insertion transgene, expressing the Cre recombinase specifically in ODCs. Fas inactivation alone as well as the complete absence of TNF-R1 protected mice partially from EAE induced by the immunization with myelin ODC glycoprotein. The double-deficient mice, however, showed almost no clinical signs of EAE after immunization. Histological analysis revealed that demyelination was suppressed in CNS tissue and that lymphocyte infiltration was notably reduced. We conclude that the death receptors Fas and TNF-R1 are major initiators of ODC apoptosis in EAE. Although only moderate reduction of lymphocyte infiltration into CNS tissue was observed, the absence of these receptors appears to confer protection from demyelination and development of clinical disease.     

Antibody to myelin constituents: A possible factor in induction of cell-mediated demyelination

Results from this laboratory have demonstrated that¹⁴C-labeled myelin opsonized with antibodies raised to purified CNS myelin in rabbit is phagocytized by cultured macrophages in larger amounts than untreated myelin or myelin opsonized with preimmune serum. The cultured macrophages produced high amounts of radioactive cholesterol ester and triglyceride from the antibody-treated myelin while much less was formed from preimmune serum-treated or untreated myelin. Antiserum to galactocerebroside also greatly enhanced the formation of radioactive cholesterol ester, while that to myelin basic protein as well as to other myelin constituents had little or no effect. Serum from Lewis rats with acute EAE 13–14 days after immunization with whole CNS myelin also stimulated radioactive cholesterol ester formation compared to serum from Freund's adjuvant-injected controls (FAC). Serum from EAE rats as a result of myelin basic protein injection was as active as that from rats with whole myelin injection. No galactocerebroside antibody could be demonstrated in the EAE sera, although a strong immunostaining to myelin basic protein and proteolipid protein was demonstrated. IgG prepared from EAE serum also showed stimulatory effects compared to IgG from FAC serum, but much of the activity was lost, and the possibility that other factors may be involved is discussed. These experiments provide evidence that myelin phagocytosis and digestion by macrophages is enhanced by the presence of antibody to myelin. In EAE this antibody may leak into CNS with the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. A humoral involvement in demyelination in EAE is implicated, and these findings may be extended eventually to the demyelinative mechanism in multiple sclerosis where IgG is found in large amounts in the CNS.Special Issue Dedicated to Dr. Abel Lajtha.     

Attenuation of experimental autoimmune demyelination in complement-deficient mice

The exact mechanisms leading to CNS inflammation and myelin destruction in multiple sclerosis and in its animal model, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) remain equivocal. In both multiple sclerosis and EAE, complement activation is thought to play a pivotal role by recruiting inflammatory cells, increasing myelin phagocytosis by macrophages, and exerting direct cytotoxic effects through the deposition of the membrane attack complex on oligodendrocytes. Despite this assumption, attempts to evaluate complement's contribution to autoimmune demyelination in vivo have been limited by the lack of nontoxic and/or nonimmunogenic complement inhibitors. In this report, we used mice deficient in either C3 or factor B to clarify the role of the complement system in an Ab-independent model of EAE. Both types of complement-deficient mice presented with a markedly reduced disease severity. Although induction of EAE led to inflammatory changes in the meninges and perivascular spaces of both wild-type and complement-deficient animals, in both C3(-/-) and factor B(-/-) mice there was little infiltration of the parenchyma by macrophages and T cells. In addition, compared with their wild-type littermates, the CNS of both C3(-/-) and factor B(-/-) mice induced for EAE are protected from demyelination. These results suggest that complement might be a target for the therapeutic treatment of inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the CNS.     

Astrocytic YAP prevents the demyelination through promoting expression of cholesterol synthesis genes in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Cholesterols are the main components of myelin, and are mainly synthesized in astrocytes and transported to oligodendrocytes and neurons in the adult brain. It has been reported that Hippo/yes-associated protein (YAP) pathways are involved in cholesterol synthesis in the liver, however, it remains unknown whether YAP signaling can prevent the demyelination through promoting cholesterol synthesis in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a commonly used animal model of multiple sclerosis characterized by neuroinflammation and demyelination. Here, we found that YAP was upregulated and activated in astrocytes of spinal cords of EAE mice through suppression of the Hippo pathway. YAP deletion in astrocytes aggravated EAE with earlier onset, severer inflammatory infiltration, demyelination, and more loss of neurons. Furthermore, we found that the neuroinflammation was aggravated and the proliferation of astrocytes was decreased in YAP^GFAP-CKO EAE mice. Mechanically, RNA-seq revealed that the expression of cholesterol-synthesis pathway genes such as HMGCS1 were decreased in YAP^−/− astrocytes. qPCR, western blot, and immunostaining further confirmed the more significant reduction of HMGCS1 in spinal cord astrocytes of YAP^GFAP-CKO EAE mice. Interestingly, upregulation of cholesterol-synthesis pathways by diarylpropionitrile (DPN) (an ERβ-ligand, to upregulate the expression of HMGCS1) treatment partially rescued the demyelination deficits in YAP^GFAP-CKO EAE mice. Finally, activation of YAP by XMU-MP-1 treatment promoted the expression of HMGCS1 in astrocytes and partially rescued the demyelination and inflammatory infiltration deficits in EAE mice. These findings identify unrecognized functions of astrocytic YAP in the prevention of demyelination through promoting cholesterol synthesis in EAE, and reveal a novel pathway of YAP/HMGCS1 for cholesterol synthesis in EAE pathology.Subject terms: Multiple sclerosis, Astrocyte, Multiple sclerosis     

PROTEOLYTIC ENZYMES AND EXPERIMENTAL DEMYELINATION IN THE RAT AND MONKEY

Abstract— Visible lesions from monkeys with acute experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by injection of purified myelin basic protein were assayed for acid proteinase, for a neutral proteinase at pH 6·5, and one lesion was measured for cathepsin A. Acid proteinase was increased to 152–176 per cent of levels in normal-appearing brain areas, neutral proteinase increased to 220–258 per cent, and the one lesion assayed for cathepsin A was 840 per cent of control. These enzymes were measured in the brain stem of Lewis rats with acute EAE as a result of basic protein injection and compared to Freund's adjuvant-injected controls. Acid proteinase was increased significantly to an average level of 128 per cent of control, the increase in neutral proteinase was not significant, and cathepsin A levels were 258 per cent of control, a highly significant increase. The rise in cathepsin A levels was not seen until the onset of paralytic symptoms. The brain stem of Wistar rats treated with whole spinal cord which show EAE in a milder form than the Lewis rat did not contain significantly higher enzyme levels than the control. The increases in acid proteinase and cathepsin A in brain stems were compared to levels of these enzymes in lymph nodes of EAE, Freund's adjuvant-injected controls and uninjected controls. The level of acid proteinase of lymph nodes/g protein did not change appreciably in the course of EAE development in the Lewis and Wistar rats and was about 3–4 times the activity in the brain stem. The cathepsin A in the inguinal lymph nodes of Wistar and Lewis rats injected with whole spinal cord in Freund's adjuvant increases to a level 2× that of the lymph nodes of the uninjected control. The cathepsin A levels in these activated lymph nodes was 6–8 × that of the control brain stem. The lymph nodes of Lewis and Wistar rats injected with Freund's adjuvant alone showed the same increase in cathepsin A as those from rats injected with spinal cord. The brain stem of rats undergoing severe demyelination as a result of chronic administration of triethyl tin did not show the enzyme increases. These results are compatible with the theory that proteolytic enzyme increases in EAE (and probably multiple sclerosis) are due to the invasion of mononuclear cells, some of which are probably lymphocytes. Whether or not these enzymes participate in the actual dissolution of myelin is unknown.     

Effects of progesterone in the spinal cord of a mouse model of multiple sclerosis

The spinal cord is a target of progesterone (PROG), as demonstrated by the expression of intracellular and membrane PROG receptors and by its myelinating and neuroprotective effects in trauma and neurodegeneration. Here we studied PROG effects in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of multiple sclerosis characterized by demyelination and immune cell infiltration in the spinal cord. Female C57BL/6 mice were immunized with a myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide (MOG_40–54). One week before EAE induction, mice received single pellets of PROG weighing either 20 or 100 mg or remained free of steroid treatment. On average, mice developed clinical signs of EAE 9–10 days following MOG administration. The spinal cord white matter of EAE mice showed inflammatory cell infiltration and circumscribed demyelinating areas, demonstrated by reductions of luxol fast blue (LFB) staining, myelin basic protein (MBP) and proteolipid protein (PLP) immunoreactivity (IR) and PLP mRNA expression. In motoneurons, EAE reduced the expression of the alpha 3 subunit of Na,K-ATPase mRNA. In contrast, EAE mice receiving PROG showed less inflammatory cell infiltration, recovery of myelin proteins and normal grain density of neuronal Na,K-ATPase mRNA. Clinically, PROG produced a moderate delay of disease onset and reduced the clinical scores. Thus, PROG attenuated disease severity, and reduced the inflammatory response and the occurrence of demyelination in the spinal cord during the acute phase of EAE.     

Sphingosine Toxicity in EAE and MS: Evidence for Ceramide Generation via Serine-Palmitoyltransferase Activation

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disorder characterized by massive neurodegeneration and profound axonal loss. Since myelin is enriched with sphingolipids and some of them display toxicity, biological function of sphingolipids in demyelination has been investigated in MS brain tissues. An elevation of sphingosine with a decrease in monoglycosylceramide and psychosine (myelin markers) was observed in MS white matter and plaque compared to normal brain tissue. This indicated that sphingosine toxicity might mediate oligodendrocyte degeneration. To explain the source of sphingosine accumulation, total sphingolipid profile was investigated in Lewis rats after inducing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and also in human oligodendrocytes in culture. An intermittent increase in ceramide followed by sphingosine accumulation in EAE spinal cord along with a stimulation of serine-palmitoyltransferase (SPT) activity was observed. Apoptosis was identified in the lumbar spinal cord, the most prominent demyelinating area, in the EAE rats. TNFα and IFNγ stimulation of oligodendrocytes in culture also led to an accumulation of ceramide with an elevation of sphingosine. Ceramide elevation was drastically blocked by myriocin, an inhibitor of SPT, and also by FTY720. Myriocin treatment also protected oligodendrocytes from cytokine mediated apoptosis or programmed cell death. Hence, we propose that sphingosine toxicity may contribute to demyelination in both EAE and MS, and the intermittent ceramide accumulation in EAE may, at least partly, be mediated via SPT activation, which is a novel observation that has not been previously reported.     

Passive induction of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a widely used animal model of the human demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis. EAE is initiated by immunization with myelin antigens in adjuvant or by adoptive transfer of myelin-specific T cells, resulting in inflammatory infiltrates and demyelination in the central nervous system. Induction of EAE in rodents typically results in ascending flaccid paralysis with inflammation primarily targeting the spinal cord. This protocol describes passive induction of EAE by adoptive transfer of T cells isolated from mice primed with myelin antigens into na?ve mice. The advantages of using this method versus active induction of EAE are discussed.     

Neuroglial relationship in experimental central demyelination in rabbits.

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced in the rabbit, initially showed inflammatory lesions, followed by demyelination. The EAE lesions also exhibited an ascendency in their appearance, i.e. they involved the spinal cord, brain stem and cerebellum in that order. During the inflammatory stage of EAE, the astrocytes became hypertrophied and the oligodendrocytes were seen to be degenerating. The inflammatory cells included lymphocytes, plasma cells, and gitter cells. When demyelination had set in, there appeared a paucity of oligodendrocytes and a marked astrocytosis in and around the lesions. The relationship of the oligodendrocytes with the maintenance of myelin in the central nervous system is discussed.     

TIME COURSE OF BIOCHEMICAL AND IMMUNOHISTOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS DURING EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS

A comprehensive biochemical, immunological and histological study was undertaken during different stages of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Wistar rats with EAE induced by sensitization with bovine myelin showed a maximum decrease of body weight 14–16 days post-inoculation (dpi), coincident with the appearance of the paralysis symptom (acute period). Quantitation of some brain components indicated a temporal dissociation among the alterations observed. The higher diminution of myelin basic protein (MBP) occurred at 6 dpi and then increased to reach 21 dpi, a normal value. Also, the activity of 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphohydrolase was reduced by 40% with respect to control animals only at 6 dpi. The total lipid content was normal; however, among the individual lipids, sulfatides were principally degraded during the acute stage but the amount of cerebrosides was decreased during the recovery period (29–40 dpi). Free cholesterol was similar in both groups of animals, whereas cholesterol esters were detected in EAE animals from 14 to 40 dpi. Central nervous system meningeal and parenchymal infiltration with mononuclear cells was recognized principally at 14 dpi, but some of cells were still present at 40 dpi. Deposits of immunoglobulins in the infiltrated regions as well as in spinal cord motor neurons were observed among 14–29 dpi. Total circulating antibodies to MBP began to increase at 14 dpi, reaching a plateau at 21 dpi and then maintaining this value until 40 dpi. However, the population of anti-MBP antibodies that also recognizes the neuronal protein synapsin was only present at 14 dpi. The present results suggest that the neurological symptoms can be related to some early changes in the myelin membrane followed by alterations involving neuronal structures. The existence of immunological factors against some epitopes in MBP that also recognize a synaptosomal protein might account, at least in part, for the axonal damage and disruption of the normal interneuronal activity in EAE and lead together with the alterations in some specific myelin constituents and the concomitant CNS inflammatory process to the observed hindlimb paralysis. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd