title: Protective effect of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) on experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in rats.
abstract: Cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1) are thought to contribute to the inflammatory response associated with autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis. We assessed the role of IL-1 in an animal model of MS, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), by testing the effects of treatment with an IL-1 receptor antagonist (recombinant human IL-1ra) on the clinical course of EAE in Lewis rats. Treatment with rhIL-1ra every day starting on Day 9 post-immunization with myelin basic protein (MBP) during the effector phase of EAE significantly inhibited clinical signs of EAE. rhIL-1ra delayed the onset, reduced the severity of paralysis and weight loss, and shortened the duration of disease. These data suggest that IL-1 is a mediator of the inflammation resulting from active immunization with MBP, and that inhibitors of IL-1 may prove beneficial for the treatment of autoimmune or inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Synergen Inc., Boulder, CO 80301, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Near
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D053590:Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: C507763:IL1RN protein, human; D053590:Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein; D007375:Interleukin-1; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins