β-Hydroxybutyrate Attenuates Clinical Symptoms and Pain Behaviors in MOG-Induced Encephalomyelitis

• Published in: Neurochemical journal 2021-04, Vol.15 (2), p.181-186
• Main Authors: Vahideh Mirzaei, Eidi, Akram, Manaheji, Homa, Oryan, Shahrbanoo, Zaringhalam, Jalal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Experimental Articles; Neurosciences
• ISSN: 1819-7124; 1819-7132
• DOI: 10.1134/S1819712421020100

A wide range of evidence shows that Multiple sclerosis is associated with increased nociceptive and neuropathic pain affecting the quality of life in patients. There are no effective medications to relieve pain without side effects in patients with Multiple sclerosis. Hence, there is a major need to develop new effective therapies for the treatment of chronic pain in these patients. Emerging evidence suggests that β-hydroxybutyrate, the most abundant ketone body metabolite, is able to relieve pain in experimental animals. In the current study, the therapeutic effects of β-hydroxybutyrate on clinical symptoms and pain behaviors were investigated in an animal model of multiple sclerosis (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; EAE). Clinical scores and body weight were recorded in EAE-induced female C57BL6 mice. To measure pain behaviors, animals were subjected to three tests including Radiant heat, Mechano-allodynia, and tail flick before and after EAE induction. The findings indicated that β-hydroxybutyrate significantly attenuated clinical scores and pain behaviors in EAE-induced mice. However, we did not any significant changes in body weight of EAE-induced mice. Overall, this study suggests that β-hydroxybutyrate could be used as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of clinical symptoms and pain behaviors in mice with EAE. Further studies are needed to validate these findings in humans.