News Novel Protein Suppresses MS in Mouse Model, Inhibits Neuroinflammation in Spinal Cord Novel Protein Suppresses MS in Mouse Model, Inhibits Neuroinflammation in Spinal Cord by Patricia Inacio, PhD | November 18, 2015 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link In a recent study entitled āMyelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG35-55)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis is ameliorated in interleukin-32 alpha transgenic mice,ā a team of researchers investigated whether interleukin (IL)-32, a cytokine with an established role in rheumatoid arthritis, has a protective function in a mouse model of human multiple sclerosis (MS). The study was published in the journal Oncotarget. MS is a neurological autoimmune disease characterized by immune destruction of the myelin layer within nerve cells, leading to a wide range of neurological symptoms (affecting sensory, motor, autonomic, and neurocognitive functions) that usuallyĀ manifests between the ages of 20 and 40 years old. Currently, MS affects approximately 350,000 individuals in the United States. IL-32 is a novel cytokine (cytokines are small proteins with key functions in cell signaling) expressed in a variety of human organs ā including the spleen, thymus, leukocyte, lung, small intestine, colon, prostate, heart, placenta, liver, muscle, kidney, pancreas, and brain. IL-32 expression is increased in rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory disorder, where its levels correlate with clinical and histological markers of the disease. The role of IL-32, however, on central nervous system injuries and demyelination is currently poorly understood. In this new study, a team of researchers investigated how IL-32Ī± may affect MS pathogenesis. To this end, theyĀ induced in vivo experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an experimental and widely accepted mouse model of MS, by injecting mice with encephalitogenic peptide, MOG35-55. The same strategy was used in a transgenic mouse that overexpressed the human IL-32Ī± protein (IL-32Ī± transgenic mice). The team had previously shown that IL-32Ī± mice showed reduced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines when compared to controls (non transgenic mice).Ā The researchers then observed that EAE symptoms in terms of paralysis severity and neuropathology in IL-32Ī± transgenic mice were significantly reduced compared to non-transgenic controls. Further studies revealedĀ that infiltration of immune cells, astrocytes/microglia activation (non-neuronal cells of the central nervous system with immune functions) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1Ī² and IL-6) levels in IL-32Ī± transgenic mice spinal cord was suppressed, together with markers of spinal cord damage. Findings from the study indicate that IL-32Ī± may suppress EAE by inhibition of neuroinflammation in the spinal cord, suggesting IL-32Ī± as a potential new therapeutic avenue on MS to be explored. Print This Page About the Author Patricia Inacio, PhD Patricia holds her PhD in cell biology from the University Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, and has served as an author on several research projects and fellowships, as well as major grant applications for European agencies. She also served as a PhD student research assistant in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University, New York, for which she was awarded a Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) fellowship. Tags EAE, neuroinflammation, paralysis, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord
April 17, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD NfL blood levels predict CIS to MS conversion: Clinical trial data
April 16, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Patients deem AI-based ChatGPT more empathetic than neurologists