Effect of the synthetic immunomodulator, Linomide, on experimental models of thyroiditis

The drug Linomide is an immunomodulator showing marked down-regulation of s everal experimental autoimmune diseases. In this study, its effect on three different experimental models of thyroid disease and on spontaneous infilt ration of salivary glands (sialoadenitis), was investigated. Although very effective at preventing thyroid infiltrates in mice immunized with mouse th yroglobulin and complete Freund's adjuvant and in spontaneous models of thy roiditis and sialoadenitis, it completely failed to modify experimental aut oimmune thyroiditis (EAT) induced in mice immunized with mouse thyroglobuli n and lipopolysaccharide. There was no significant shift in the observed is otypes of anti-mouse thyroglobulin antibodies and only anti-mouse thyroglob ulin antibodies in the spontaneous model were completely down-modulated by the drug. One surprising fact to emerge was that Linomide-treated donor mic e, although protected from thyroid lesions themselves, were still able to t ransfer EAT showing that they must have been effectively primed while being treated with Linomide. It is possible that the drug down modulated EAT by interfering with the trafficking of primed effector cells.