Abstract
Summary
The therapeutic effect of myelin basic protein on established EAE, reported for actively immunized guinea pigs by Alvord et al., has been extended to rats with clinical signs of EAE produced by active sensitization or passive transfer. Furthermore, there was evidence of a limited degree of species specificity inasmuch as rat or guinea pig basic proteins were more effective than monkey basic protein in treating EAE produced with rat spinal cord and adjuvants. However, monkey basic protein appeared to be a fully effective therapeutic agent when EAE was produced with monkey spinal cord. The present work derives importance from current interest in treating patients with multiple sclerosis with basic protein or substances derived from basic protein. The experiments described herein provide a basis for further investigation, in which therapeutic gains can be measured by clinical signs, mortality and histological scoring after only 1 to 3 treatments and in as short a time as 2 days.
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