EXPERIMENTAL AUTOIMMUNE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS - IMMUNOTHERAPY WITH ANTITUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ANTIBODIES AND SOLUBLE TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR RECEPTORS

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease in which an inflamm atory cell infiltrate represents a characteristic pathologic feature o f active lesions within the CNS. The possibility has been raised that cell-mediated immune mechanisms orchestrate the pathogenesis of MS. Cy tokines play a particularly important role in cellular immune mechanis ms. These soluble glycoproteins, nonimmunoglobulin in nature, act none nzymatically to regulate immune cell function. A unique family of cyto kines, the tumor necrosis factors (TNFs), demonstrate immunoregulatory activity but are also involved in the effector arm of cellular immune responses. Recently, studies both in vitro and in vivo have suggested a role for TNFs in the pathology of MS. This report summarizes data i mplicating TNFs in the mechanisms of MS and attempts to apply the anti -TNF approach in the future therapeutic strategy for this disease.