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)

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a member of the neurotrophin family, is neuroprotective in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. However, BDNF has a short half-life and its efficacy in the central nervous system (CNS), when delivered peripherally, is limited due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB). We have developed a means of delivering BDNF into the CNS using genetically engineered bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) as a vehicle, and have explored the clinical effects of BDNF on outcomes in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). BDNF-engineered-BMSCs were transplanted (i.v.) into irradiated 2-week-old SJL/J female mice. Eight weeks after transplantation, mice were immunized with a peptide of proteolipid protein (PLP(139-151)). Mice, which had received BDNFengineered BMSCs, showed a significant delay in EAE onset and a reduction in overall clinical severity compared to mice receiving BMSC transfected with an empty vector lacking the BDNF gene. In addition, pathological examination showed that BDNF delivery reduced demyelination and increased remyelination. Inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma and enhanced expression of the antiinflammatory cytokines IL-4, IL-10, and IL-11 were found in the CNS tissues of the BDNF transplanted group. These results support the use of BMSCs as vehicles to deliver BDNF into the CNS of EAE animals. This is a potentially novel therapeutic approach that might be used to deliver BDNF gene or genes for other therapeutic proteins into the CNS in MS or in other diseases of the CNS in which accessibility of therapeutic proteins is limited due to the BBB.
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PMID:Brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene delivery in an animal model of multiple sclerosis using bone marrow stem cells as a vehicle. 1936 71

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor plays a key role in neuronal and axonal survival. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is expressed in the immune cells in lesions of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis, thus potentially mediating neuroprotective effects. We investigated the functional role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis. Mice deficient for brain-derived neurotrophic factor in immune cells displayed an attenuated immune response in the acute phase of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, but progressive disability with enhanced axonal loss in the chronic phase of the disease. In mice deficient for central nervous system-derived brain-derived neurotrophic factor via glial fibrillary acidic protein-crescentin-mediated deletion, a more severe course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and an overall increased axonal loss was observed. In a lentiviral approach, injection of brain-derived neurotrophic factor-overexpressing T cells led to a less severe course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and direct axonal protection. Our data imply a functional role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in autoimmune demyelination by mediating axon protection.
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PMID:Functional role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in neuroprotective autoimmunity: therapeutic implications in a model of multiple sclerosis. 2082 27

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in neuronal and glial development and survival. While neurons and astrocytes are its main cellular source in the central nervous system (CNS), bioactive BDNF is also expressed in immune cells and in lesions of multiple sclerosis and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Previous data revealed that BDNF exerts neuroprotective effects in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-induced EAE. Using a conditional knock-out model with inducible deletion of BDNF, we here show that clinical symptoms and structural damage are increased when BDNF is absent during the initiation phase of clinical EAE. In contrast, deletion of BDNF later in the disease course of EAE did not result in significant changes, either in the disease course or in axonal integrity. Bone marrow chimeras revealed that the deletion of BDNF in the CNS alone, with no deletion of BDNF in the infiltrating immune cells, was sufficient for the observed effects. Finally, the therapeutic effect of glatiramer acetate, a well-characterized disease-modifying drug with the potential to modulate BDNF expression, was partially reversed in mice in which BDNF was deleted shortly before the onset of disease. In summary, our data argue for an early window of therapeutic opportunity where modulation of BDNF may exert neuroprotective effects in experimental autoimmune demyelination.
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PMID:Central nervous system rather than immune cell-derived BDNF mediates axonal protective effects early in autoimmune demyelination. 2200 4

In addition to detrimental inflammation, widespread axon degeneration is an important feature of multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology and a major correlate for permanent clinical deficits. Thus, treatments that combine immunomodulatory and neuroprotective effects are beneficial for MS. Using myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide 35-55 (MOG)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) as a model of MS, we recently showed that daily treatment with the phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor sildenafil at peak disease rapidly ameliorates clinical symptoms and neuropathology (Pifarre et al., 2011). We have now investigated the immunomodulatory and neuroprotective actions of sildenafil treatment from the onset of EAE when the immune response prevails and show that early administration of the drug prevents disease progression. Ultrastructural analysis of spinal cord evidenced that sildenafil treatment preserves axons and myelin and increases the number of remyelinating axons. Immunostaining of oligodendrocytes at different stages of differentiation showed that sildenafil protects immature and mature myelinating oligodendrocytes. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a recognized neuroprotectant in EAE, was up-regulated by sildenafil in immune and neural cells suggesting its implication in the beneficial effects of the drug. RNA microarray analysis of spinal cord revealed that sildenafil up-regulates YM-1, a marker of the alternative macrophage/microglial M2 phenotype that has neuroprotective and regenerative properties. Immunostaining confirmed up-regulation of YM-1 while the classical macrophage/microglial activation marker Iba-1 was down-regulated. Microarray analysis also showed a notable up-regulation of several members of the granzyme B cluster (GrBs). Immunostaining revealed expression of GrBs in Foxp3+-T regulatory cells (Tregs) suggesting a role for these proteases in sildenafil-induced suppression of T effector cells (Teffs). In vitro analysis of splenocytes from sildenafil-treated animals showed down-regulation of Th1/Th2/Th17 responses while Tregs were up-regulated. Additionally, sildenafil treatment prevented MOG-specific IgG2b accumulation in serum. Taken together these data demonstrates that daily sildenafil treatment from the initiation of EAE symptoms prevents further clinical deterioration by stimulating immunomodulatory and neuroprotective mechanisms. Importantly, we also show here that sildenafil enhances the ability of human Tregs from healthy donors to down-regulate the proliferation of Teffs in vitro, strongly supporting the potential of sildenafil for therapeutic intervention in MS.
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PMID:Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibition at disease onset prevents experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis progression through immunoregulatory and neuroprotective actions. 2421 83

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a pleiotropic cytokine with neuroprotective properties that has been identified as a potential therapeutic agent for diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). The use of BDNF has been limited by a short serum half-life and poor penetration of the blood-brain barrier. To address this limitation we have explored cell-based approaches to delivery. We have used experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), an inflammatory disease of the CNS, as a model system. We engineered hematopoietic stem cells to produce BDNF to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of cell-based delivery of BDNF into the CNS in EAE. We review those studies here.
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PMID:Cell-based delivery of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. 2460 38