LUZINDOLE, A MELATONIN RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST, SUPPRESSES EXPERIMENTAL AUTOIMMUNE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS

Melatonin has immune-enhancing effects and can exacerbate autoimmunity . Pinealectomy or light exposure, which suppress melatonin, inhibit T cell autoimmunity. To investigate the involvement of melatonin in expe rimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a T-cell-mediated autoimm une demyelinating disease, we tested the effect of luzindole, a melato nin receptor antagonist, on EAE. Luzindole-treated mice did not develo p EAE after immunization with spinal cord homogenate, whereas control mice developed EAE, This study suggests that pharmacological inhibitio n of the immunoenhancing effects of melatonin may prevent autoimmune d emyelination.