Effects of betaseron, r-human interferon beta-1b, in an encephalomyelitis model in guinea pigs

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Pharmacology 1999, Vol.79 (suppl.2), p.292-292
• Main Authors: Fumie Yabuuchi, Chang-Sung Koh, Atsushi Inoue, Aritake Kousuke, Kunihiko Kitagaki, Yukihiro Ikoma, Shigehiro Hayashi
• Format: Article
• Language: Japanese
• ISSN: 0021-5198

The present study was done to investigate effects of betaseron on progression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in guinea pigs, the model of which is supposed potentially relevant to human multiple sclerosis. Guinea pigs were immunized actively by injecting antigen emulsified with complete Freunds adjuvant subcutaneously, containing porcine myelin basic protein. Betaseron specifically for guinea pigs was made from intermittent product, replacing human albumin with guinea pig one so as to avoid antigenicity; administered for twenty days. The first clinical signs manifested in 9 to 11 days after the inoculation in vehicle-treated guinea pigs, and mononuclear cells were infiltrated around blood vessels in the spinal cord on day 20. Treatment with betaseron significantly suppressed the manifestation of ataxia and progression of chronic neurological deficits at a lower dose of 1.2 MIU/kg significantly. Antigen-induced proliferation of spleen cells ex vivo were not reduced in advanced stage of inflammation on day 20 in the drug-treated group. In mitogen-induced proliferation testing with peripheral blood mononuclear cells, guinea pigs only were sensitive to betaseron, compared to in other species of animals; rats and rabbits. Thus, the r-human interferon beta lb could be applied for the assessment of neurological deficits in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis of guinea pigs and immune reaction of peripheral blood monocytes.