title: Amelioration of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in Lewis rats treated with fucoidan.
abstract: We examined whether fucoidan affected the clinical symptoms of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in rats. EAE was induced in Lewis rats that were immunized with guinea-pig myelin basic protein (MBP) and complete Freund's adjuvant. Fucoidan (50 mg/kg, daily) was administered to rats with EAE intraperitoneally, either in the EAE induction phase from either 1 day before immunization to day 7 post-immunization (PI), or the effector phase from day 8 to 14 PI, to test which phase of rat EAE is affected by fucoidan treatment.The onset, severity and duration of EAE paralysis in the fucoidan-treated group in the days 8-14 PI-treated rats, but not in days -1-7 PI-treated rats, were significantly delayed, suppressed and reduced, respectively, compared with the vehicle-treated controls. Treatment with fucoidan reduced the encephalitogenic response and TNF-alpha production during EAE. Moreover, the clinical amelioration coincided with decreased infiltration of inflammatory cells in the EAE-affected spinal cord. The ameliorative effect of fucoidan on clinical paralysis in EAE-affected rats may be mediated, in part, by the suppression of the autoreactive T cell response and inflammatory cytokine production.
authors: Department of Veterinary Anatomy, College of Veterinary Medicine and Applied Radiological Science Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju 690-756, South Korea.
authors: Heechul
authors: H
authors: Kim
authors: Changjong
authors: C
authors: Moon
authors: Eun-jin
authors: EJ
authors: Park
authors: Youngheun
authors: Y
authors: Jee
authors: Meejung
authors: M
authors: Ahn
authors: Myung Bok
authors: MB
authors: Wie
authors: Taekyun
authors: T
authors: Shin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D011134:Polysaccharides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant; C007789:fucoidan