ISSN:
1432-0533
Keywords:
Multiple sclerosis
;
Cerebral endothelial cell membrane
;
Rhesus monkeys
;
Autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Summary It is postulated that multiple sclerosis might be an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). The mechanisms involved are unknown but, since the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is damaged, injury to endothelial cells is likely to have occurred. Our previous studies have led us to investigate the autoimmune effect of injuring the blood-brain barrier by immunizing rhesus monkeys with an endothelial cell membrane from the same kind of animals. The immunized animals developed a chronic or a relapsing neurological illness. Histological and ultrastructural examinations of the brain in the acute stage showed infiltrates of mononuclear cells around the blood vessels of the white matter of cerebrum, cerebellum, pons and midbrain, while in the chronic phase, large areas of demyelination and remyelination, especially in the white matter regions, were present. The animals immunized with extraneural antigen, an endothelial cell membrane obtained from human umbilical cord, developed no neurological illness. This results indicate that the brain endothelial cell membrane has an inflammatory encephalitogenic activity which could produce widespread demyelination in animals. The animal model described here may prove to be useful in the pathogenetic investigation of human autoimmune demyelinating diseases.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00688241
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