SUPPRESSION OF HYPERACUTE AND PASSIVELY TRANSFERRED EXPERIMENTAL AUTOIMMUNE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS BY THE ANTIOXIDANT, BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) was used to treat hyperacute, ordinary passive, and hyperacute passive experimental autoimmune encephalomyeli tis (EAE) in the Lewis rat. The anti-oxidant, delivered via mini-osmot ic pumps, reduced the incidence, severity and mortality in hyperacute EAE and also reduced the incidence, severity and duration of disease i n passively induced EAE and hyperacute passive EAE. In all cases, cell ular infiltration by both mononuclear and polymorphonuclear leukocytes were significantly reduced in treated rats. BHA appears therefore to act at the effector stage of EAE, reducing cellular infiltration in th e brain and spinal cord and minimising clinical signs without blocking sensitisation or activation. This was supported by the finding that s pleen cells from BHA-treated donors immunised for hyperacute EAE trans ferred disease at least as well as cells recovered from untreated dono rs.