Final Activity Report Summary - RBMBG (Identifying the factors leading to pregnancy-induced remission in a model of Multiple Sclerosis)
The objective of this work was to characterise the mechanisms involved in pregnancy-induced remission in a model mimicking aspects of Multiple sclerosis, the relapsing-remitting Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice model. This work allowed the validation of the SLJ mice relpasing-remitting EAE model through use of a clinical pharmacological agent, Mitoxantrone, demonstrating its efficacy at reducing severity and spinal cord damages measured by specially developed ELISA methods.
Moreover this work also demonstrated that pregnancy-induced remission occurred during the last part of the pregnancy and, as in women, showed major rebound in clinical signs after parturition. Again, it was demonstrated that pregnancy induced a CNS protection detectable at the level of the axons and myelin content. These data strongly support the concept that during pregnancy key factors are modulating the pathology severity and inducing a privileged period of remission.
Moreover this work also demonstrated that pregnancy-induced remission occurred during the last part of the pregnancy and, as in women, showed major rebound in clinical signs after parturition. Again, it was demonstrated that pregnancy induced a CNS protection detectable at the level of the axons and myelin content. These data strongly support the concept that during pregnancy key factors are modulating the pathology severity and inducing a privileged period of remission.