title: Administration of dehydroepiandrosterone ameliorates experimental autoimmune neuritis in Lewis rats.
abstract: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an abundant adrenal steroid in serum of humans, and has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and certain immune-regulating properties. Experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN) is a Th1 cell-mediated animal model of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in humans. In the present study, DHEA was administered subcutaneously to Lewis rats immunized with bovine peripheral myelin (BPM) in Freund's complete adjuvant. Rats treated with DHEA displayed significant delay in onset, decreased inflammatory cell infiltration in the PNS. Benefit was associated with significant decreases in numbers of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha expressing cells in the PNS, BPM-stimulated T cell proliferation and IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha-secretion in the spleen cells. Only 2 mg DHEA-treated EAN rats decreased peak clinical score. No significant difference of supernatant IL-10 was found among the treatment and control groups. These results suggest that DHEA can ameliorate the severity of EAN by suppressing the proliferation of autoreactive T cell and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Ying-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Dou
authors.forename: Chang-Wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Rui-Sheng
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Ruo-Peng
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000276:immunology; D009444:Neuritis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D010524:Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant