title: Sulforaphane ameliorates the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by antagonizing oxidative stress and Th17-related inflammation in mice.
abstract: Sulforaphane (SFN) is an organosulfur compound present in vegetables and has potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This study was aimed at investigating the effect of treatment with SFN on inflammation and oxidative stress, and the potential mechanisms underlying the action of SFN in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in C57BL/6 mice. Treatment with SFN significantly inhibited the development and severity of EAE in mice, accompanied by mitigating inflammatory infiltration and demyelination in the spinal cord of mice. The protective effect of SFN was associated with significantly improved distribution of claudin-5 and occludin, and decreased levels of MMP-9 expression, preserving the blood-brain barrier. Furthermore, the protection of SFN was also related to decreased levels of oxidative stress in the brains of mice by enhanced activation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway and increased levels of anti-oxidant HO-1 and NQO1 expression. In addition, treatment with SFN inhibited antigen-specific Th17 responses and enhanced IL-10 responses. Our data indicated that treatment with SFN inhibited EAE development and severity in mice by its anti-oxidant activity and antagonizing autoimmune inflammation. Our findings suggest that SFN and its analogues may be promising reagents for intervention of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000 Hebei, China; Key Laboratory of Hebei Neurology, Shijiazhuang, 050000 Hebei, China. Electronic address: jack511@163.com.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ru
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiao-Hua
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Xiao-Li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiu-Juan
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D017879:Isothiocyanates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D013454:Sulfoxides; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D017879:Isothiocyanates; D013454:Sulfoxides; C016766:sulforaphane
keywords: Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; Inflammation; Multiple sclerosis; Nrf2; Oxidative stress; Sulforaphane; Th17