Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0014070 (encephalomyelitis)
 13,017 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that serves as a model for the human disease multiple sclerosis. We evaluated rolipram, a type IV phosphodiesterase inhibitor, for its efficacy in preventing EAE in the common marmoset Callithrix jacchus. In a blinded experimental design, clinical signs of EAE developed within 17 days of immunization with human white matter in two placebo-treated animals but in none of three monkeys that received rolipram (10 mg/kg s.c. every other day) beginning 1 week after immunization. In controls, signs of EAE were associated with development of cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis and cerebral MRI abnormalities. In the treatment group, there was sustained protection from clinical EAE, transient cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis in only one of three animals, no MRI abnormality, and marked reduction in histopathologic findings. Rolipram-treated and control animals equally developed circulating antibodies to myelin basic protein. Thus, inhibition of type IV phosphodiesterase, initiated after sensitization to central nervous system antigens, protected against autoimmune demyelinating disease.
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PMID:Prevention of autoimmune demyelination in non-human primates by a cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor. 753 38

In multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) the cytokines tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), lymphotoxin-alpha (LT), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) are of central pathogenetic importance. A therapy capable of stopping neurological deterioration in MS patients is not yet available. Here, we report that rolipram, a selective type IV phosphodiesterase inhibitor, stereospecifically suppresses the production of TNF/LT and less strongly also IFN-gamma in human and rat auto-reactive T cells. Moreover, we show that rolipram is an effective treatment for EAE. Rolipram has extensively been studied in humans for the treatment of depression, but has not yet been marketed. The data presented here identify rolipram as potential therapy for multiple sclerosis and provoke the immediate initiation of clinical trials.
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PMID:The antidepressant rolipram suppresses cytokine production and prevents autoimmune encephalomyelitis. 758 35

The phosphodiesterase inhibitor oxpentifylline (OXP) has a number of potentially important immunomodulatory actions which include a selective inhibition of the Th1 subset of CD4+ cells in vitro and inhibition of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha mRNA transcription. In vivo, it has a dramatic protective effect against experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. In this animal model, tissue injury is associated with both a Th1 response and with TNF-alpha production, either of which could be targets for the protective action of OXP. In an attempt to clarify the relative importance of the Th cell subsets and TNF-alpha in pathogenesis, we investigated the effect of OXP on a Th2 model of T cell-dependent disease, mercuric chloride (HgCl2)-induced autoimmunity in the Brown Norway rat. The effects of OXP on the Th1:Th2 response, TNF-alpha mRNA transcription in spleen and ankle joints, and on the incidence and severity of arthritis and cecal vasculitis have been examined and the effects in vivo have been compared with those of a soluble TNF receptor-IgG1 fusion protein (sTNFR) that neutralizes rat TNF-alpha. In two separate experiments, OXP significantly enhanced unstimulated levels of splenic interleukin-4 (IL-4) mRNA (median 62%, of an artificial IL-4 mRNA construct, vs. 36.5% in controls) and in one experiment, exaggerated the total IgE response to HgCl2. OXP inhibited HgCl2-induced TNF-alpha mRNA transcription in spleen and ankle joints. In three separate experiments, OXP had a significant protective effect against arthritis, with the mean incidence reduced from 100% to 30% and mean peak score reduced from 7.2 to 2.59 (experiments 1 and 2). The protection against arthritis was indistinguishable from that produced by sTNFR. There was no such protection against cecal vasculitis with either OXP or sTNFR. These results demonstrate that OXP induces a shift towards a Th2 response, inhibits TNF-alpha mRNA transcription locally in joint and systemically in spleen, and has a protective effect against arthritis similar to that produced by sTNFR in the HgCl2-treated BN rat. We conclude that TNF-alpha is a critical cytokine in the pathogenesis of arthritis but not cecal vasculitis in this model, and that inhibition of TNF-alpha transcription is the most important mode of action of OXP in this situation. OXP may be a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of other arthritides, such as human rheumatoid arthritis, in which TNF-alpha has been implicated in pathogenesis.
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PMID:Oxpentifylline inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha mRNA transcription and protects against arthritis in mercuric chloride-treated brown Norway rats. 758 90

The phosphodiesterase inhibitor pentoxifylline (POX), which is known to have pharmacological effects in animal models of multiorgan failure and endotoxin-mediated shock, was tested for its immunosuppressive potential on T lymphocyte activation in vitro and in vivo. POX was found to have a profound inhibitory effect on both mitogen- and antigen-induced proliferation of CD4+ T cells in vitro. This inhibitory activity of the drug could be reproduced by treating T lymphocytes with cAMP analogues during stimulation. Responses of repeatedly in vitro stimulated cells were much more strongly inhibited by the drug and by cAMP analogues than responses of fresh resting lymphocytes. Furthermore, POX could drastically down-regulate tumor necrosis factor regulate production and to a lesser extent interleukin (IL)-2 secretion in activated T cells, but an excess of exogenous IL-2 did not override the antiproliferative effect of the drug. In contrast, the same doses of POX had no inhibitory effect on spontaneous or induced IL-4 and IL-6 production by short-term cultured T lymphocytes, indicating a selective sparing of T helper type 2 (Th2)-associated lymphokine functions by the drug. To test a potential use of POX as an antiinflammatory agent in T cell-mediated autoimmune disease, the influence of POX on myelin basic protein (MBP)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was assessed. The onset of EAE in Lewis rats could almost completely be abrogated by oral administration of POX during the induction phase of disease. Lack of clinical symptoms in POX-treated animals coincided with a marked suppression of MBP-specific T cell reactivity in vitro, without any evidence for a generalized impairment of T cell activity. Collectively, our data suggest the potential use of xanthine derivatives of the POX type as a supporting antiinflammatory therapeutic agent in Th1 CD4+ T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases in animal models and possibly in man.
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PMID:Phosphodiesterase inhibitor pentoxifylline, a selective suppressor of T helper type 1- but not type 2-associated lymphokine production, prevents induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in Lewis rats. 839 96

To extend our evaluation of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) treatment for human demyelinating diseases, we compared effects of s.c. and i.v. IGF-1 in an in vivo model with lesions resembling those seen in multiple sclerosis. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced in Lewis rats with an emulsion containing guinea pig spinal cord and treatment with placebo or with s.c. or i.v. IGF-1 was started when definite clinical weakness was present. IGF-I given subcutaneously significantly reduced clinical deficits and lesion severity. The clinical improvement, as measured by clinical deficit scores, stride lengths and exercise wheel rotations, was evident in 48 hrs and was comparable to that produced by the same IGF-I dose administered intravenously. Subcutaneously administered IGF-I also increased relative mRNA levels of myelin basic protein (MBP), proteolipid (PLP) and 2',3' cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNP), thereby promoting myelin regeneration. We conclude that s.c. IGF-I produces dramatic improvement in acute, demyelinating EAE. Our results also suggest that this growth factor may be useful in treating multiple sclerosis patients with active demyelination.
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PMID:Insulin-like growth factor-I given subcutaneously reduces clinical deficits, decreases lesion severity and upregulates synthesis of myelin proteins in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. 861 86

We describe sequence similarity and immunologic cross-reactivity between a peptide of the mycobacterial hsp, HSP65, and the myelin protein 2',3' cyclic nucleotide 3' phosphodiesterase (CNP). We demonstrate that immunization with the homologous cross-reactive CNP peptide (hsp-CNP peptide) has significant biological consequences. Rats immunized with hsp-CNP peptide in either complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) or incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) produce large amounts of peptide-specific antibody. Isotypes of antibodies in animals immunized with peptide in CFA are IgG1 and IgG2a. Isotypes of antibodies in rats immunized with peptide in IFA are predominantly IgG1, with low titers of IgG2a. T cell proliferative responses to HSP65 are present in rats immunized with peptide in CFA. T cell responses to HSP65 initially are absent in rats immunized with peptide in IFA but develop over time. T cell proliferative responses to hsp-CNP peptide were not detected. None of the groups of rats developed clinical or histologic evidence of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). To induce EAE, rats preimmunized with hsp-CNP peptide were challenged with guinea pig spinal cord (GPSC) emulsified in CFA. Rats preimmunized with peptide in CFA developed severe EAE. Rats preimmunized with hsp-CNP peptide in IFA were protected from EAE, with both a lower incidence and severity of disease. Injecting the murine monoclonal antibody recognizing the shared HSP65 and CNP epitope did not protect against EAE. Our data suggest that a Th2 pattern of immune response to a CNP peptide that itself is non-encephalitogenic protects against EAE. Immune responses to either hsp or myelin proteins cross-reactive with hsp may play an important role in the development of EAE.
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PMID:Heat shock proteins and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE): I. Immunization with a peptide of the myelin protein 2',3' cyclic nucleotide 3' phosphodiesterase that is cross-reactive with a heat shock protein alters the course of EAE. 873 58

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in Lewis rats, an animal model mimicking some aspects of multiple sclerosis, was treated with the type IV-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor Rolipram. Actively induced EAE evoked by immunization with myelin basic protein (MBP) in complete Freund's adjuvant was delayed but only slightly ameliorated in its maximal severity by preventive treatment with Rolipram (2 x 3 mg/kg per day) starting on the day of immunization. Therapeutic administration of Rolipram (2 x 5 mg/kg per day) was begun within hours after onset of first clinical signs of EAE but could not modify the further course of the disease. Both doses had significant side effects. Injection of 5 mg Rolipram/kg provoked transient slackening and unsteady gait while chronic application of 6 mg/kg/day strongly accelerated the weight gain in adolescent rats. EAE adoptively transferred by injection of encephalitogenic T line blasts was shortened and significantly suppressed in its severity by application of Rolipram (2 x 5 mg/kg per day) starting on the day of cell transfer. In corresponding lumbar spinal cord sections density of inflammatory infiltration by T cells and macrophages was reduced. Rolipram did not prevent generation of an antigen-specific immune response in vivo. In vitro the drug inconsistently inhibited MBP-induced activation of encephalitogenic T cells. TNF-alpha secretion by encephalitogenic T cells was limited only when T cell proliferation was also affected. In contrast, TNF-alpha production by LPS-activated macrophages was consistently and markedly suppressed by Rolipram. However, since the encephalitogenic T line cells produced at least 100 times more TNF-alpha than the same number of Rolipram-sensitive macrophages, the impact of Rolipram on the total amount of TNF-alpha synthesized in EAE may be limited. Together with our histological findings, the data suggest that relevant immunosuppressive mechanisms of Rolipram may be the inhibition of migration of leukocytes into the central nervous system and to some extent its inhibitory effect on T cell proliferation and macrophage activity. The downregulatory effects of Rolipram may be partially counteracted by its augmenting impact on the production of nitric oxide by macrophages.
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PMID:Preventive but not therapeutic application of Rolipram ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in Lewis rats. 878 54

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease with inflammatory lesions localized to the white matter of the central nervous system. Early on, the disease is characterized by episodes of exacerbations and remissions. During exacerbations there is an acute inflammatory infiltrate characterized by the presence of mononuclear cells, monocytes, and T lymphocytes. These cells produce proinflammatory cytokines that have been implicated in the amplification of the inflammatory response as well as in the damage of oligodendrocytes. The inflammation ultimately results in loss of myelin and oligodendrocyte cell death (demyelination). Thus therapies aimed at preventing the inflammatory response may have a beneficial effect on the course of the disease. One such therapy is treatment with inhibitors of phosphodiesterase type IV. These drugs have proven to be extremely effective in the prevention and treatment of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, the animal model for multiple sclerosis. These experiments, as well as other data discussed here, provide a rationale for the treatment of multiple sclerosis with inhibitors of phosphodiesterase type IV.
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PMID:Phosphodiesterase type IV inhibitors in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. 908 27

It was recently demonstrated that selective phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE4) inhibition suppresses the clinical manifestations of acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), and inhibits the production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a pathogenetically central cytokine. Since the most common presentation of MS in humans is a relapsing-remitting course, we investigated the therapeutic potential of PDE4 inhibition in the relapsing-remitting EAE model of the SJL mouse. Administration of rolipram, the prototypic PDE4 inhibitor, reduced the clinical signs of EAE during both the initial episode of disease and subsequent relapses. In parallel, there was marked reduction of demyelination and also less inflammation throughout the central nervous system (CNS) of rolipram-treated animals. Gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the CNS was reduced in most of the rolipram-treated animals. Additional experiments demonstrated that PDE4 inhibition acted principally by inhibiting the secretion of Th1 cytokines, however, the encephalitogenic potential of myelin basic protein-specific T cells was not impaired. Our findings suggest that PDE4 inhibitors are a promising cytokine-directed therapy in chronic demyelinating disease.
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PMID:Therapeutic potential of phosphodiesterase type 4 inhibition in chronic autoimmune demyelinating disease. 935 47

One of the more complex developmental processes occurring postnatally in the CNS is the formation of the myelin sheath by oligodendrocytes. To examine the molecular events that take place during myelination, we isolated oligodendrocyte-derived cDNA clones, one of which (p421.HB) represents a putative alternatively spliced isoform of rat brain-specific phosphodiesterase I (PD-Ialpha) and a species homolog of the human cytokine autotaxin. Analysis of the structural composition of the p421.HB/PD-Ialpha protein suggests a transmembrane-bound ectoenzyme, which, in addition to the phosphodiesterase-active site contains presumed cell recognition and Ca2+-binding domains. Consequently, it may be involved in extracellular signaling events. Expression of p421.HB/PD-Ialpha is enriched in brain and spinal cord, where its mRNA can be detected in oligodendrocytes and in cells of the choroid plexus. Expression in the brain increases during development with an intermediate peak of expression around the time of active myelination and maximal expression in the adult. We have identified four presumably alternatively spliced isoforms, two of which appear to be CNS-specific. Decreased levels of p421.HB/PD-Ialpha mRNA in the dysmyelinating mouse mutant jimpy, but not shiverer, suggest a role for p421.HB/PD-Ialpha during active myelination and/or late stages of oligodendrocyte differentiation. Furthermore, p421.HB/PD-Ialpha mRNA levels were reduced in the CNS at onset of clinical symptoms in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. These data together implicate the importance of p421.HB/PD-Ialpha in oligodendrocyte function, possibly through cell-cell and/or cell-extracellular matrix recognition.
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PMID:Phosphodiesterase I, a novel adhesion molecule and/or cytokine involved in oligodendrocyte function. 936 56


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