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Abstract:
Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) is a picornavirus that is used as an animal model for the study of multiple sclerosis (MS). One of the current therapies for MS involves the administration of a type I interferon, IFN-beta. The administration of IFN-beta can result in unfavored, psychological side-effects including clinical depression. A second type I interferon, ovine IFN-tau, has previously been found to be less cytotoxic than IFN-beta. This study focuses on the effects of IFN-tau on SJL/J mice at o months, 2 months, and 4 months post-infection with TMEV strain BeAn. Through neurological exams and histological analysis of the CNS, we report that IFN-tau administration significantly reversed the neurological abnormalities induced by TMEV infection when given at 4 months post-infection. Histologically, treatment at 4 months post- infection resulted in a significant decrease in lesion occurrence in the ventral and dorsal funiculi of the spinal cord. Inflammation and - demyelination were both reduced as measured via percent area effected in hemotoxylin + eosin stained and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein- specific immunostained spinal cord sections embedded in paraffin. No effect was detected with treatment at 2 months post-infection.
| Limitations: |
 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE |
| Description: |
Doctoral thesis |
| Pages: |
251 |
| Report Date: |
AUG 2001 |
| Report Number: |
A451593 |
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