NEUROPHYSIOLOGIC CHANGES IN LUMBAR NERVE ROOT INFLAMMATION IN THE RATAFTER TREATMENT WITH CYTOKINE INHIBITORS - EVIDENCE FOR A ROLE OF INTERLEUKIN-1

Study Design. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of cytokine inhibitors in experimental allergic radiculitis. Objective. Evaluation of the effect of cytokine inhibitors in experimental allerg ic radiculitis. Summary of Background Data. A number of cytokines are known to be involved in hyperalgesia and may play a role in radiculiti s. Corticosteroids and other cytokine inhibitors antagonize their effe cts. Methods. Experimental allergic radiculitis was induced in rats by injection of bovine myelin from the peripheral nervous system. The sh am group subsequently received saline injections; the treatment groups received either prednisolone or interleukin-1 receptor antagonist. Tr eatment effect was assessed on the basis of motor performance and neur ophysiologic parameters. Results. Treatment ameliorated the symptoms o f experimental allergic radiculitis. Prednisolone appeared to be somew hat more effective than interleukin-1 receptor antagonist. Conclusions . Because interleukin-1 receptor antagonist specifically blocks the ef fects of interleukin-1 at its receptors, the present results imply tha t interleukin-1 is a causal factor in the model of experimental radicu litis used. Its specificity and apparent lack of side effects make int erleukin-1 receptor antagonist an attractive candidate treatment for t he human disease.