title: Suppression of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in Lewis rats by administration of gangliosides.
abstract: Gangliosides (GA) are known to suppress T cell responses to mitogens and alloantigens. GA treatment (more than 50 mg/kg/rat subcutaneously every 12 hr) significantly suppressed clinical signs and histologic lesions of both actively induced and cell-transferred experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in Lewis rats in a dose-dependent manner: P < 0.01, in actively induced EAE; P < 0.001 (100 mg/kg) or P < 0.005 (50 mg/kg), in cell-transferred EAE. Lymph node cells from guinea pig myelin basic protein (GPMBP)-sensitized rats were stimulated in vitro with the specific sensitizing antigen, GPMBP, or with Con A. Purified bovine brain GA significantly suppressed GPMBP-induced proliferation in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.01). GA treatment during sensitization phase (from Day -5 to Day 4) did not suppress actively induced EAE. There were no significant differences in T cell subsets of peripheral blood or spleen cells between GA-treated rats and controls by flow cytometry analysis. Taken together, these findings indicate that GA primarily act on the immune effector phase of EAE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Neurology), Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uemura
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yanagisawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D007114:Immunization; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D005732:Gangliosides; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D003208:Concanavalin A