Daunomycin treatment prevents clinical expression of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis.
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune neuromuscular disease, characterized by muscle weakness and electrophysiological abnormality. No treatment which would reliably induce permanent clinical remission of MG is yet available. The therapeutic efficacy and toxic effect of daunomycin (Dm), an antibiotic of the rhodomycin group, was evaluated in murine experimental autoimmune MG. Low dosage Dm treatment effectively prevented the development of muscle weakness and its associated electrophysiological abnormality, without inducing detectable toxicity and global immunosuppression.
Christadoss
P
P
Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Burlington 05405.
Henderson
R
R
Keve
S
S
D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003630:Daunorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology
D001323:Autoantibodies; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D003630:Daunorubicin