Nitric oxide and TNF alpha effects in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis demyelination

The involvement of inducible nitric oxide synthase ( iNOS), which plays various roles in the progression of autoimmune diseases, was studied in iNOS knockout ( KO) mice and wildtype (WT) controls with respect to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The iNOS ( KO) mice presented a less severe form of the disease than the WT control mice. Although the levels of TNF alpha decreased in the periphery in both groups, an increase in the number of TNF alpha-positive cells was detected in the central nervous system during the acute phase of EAE in the WT mice, but not in the KO mice. These findings suggest that NO and TNF alpha contribute to the pathogenesis of acute EAE. Copyright (C) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.