CONCORDANCE AND CONTRADICTION CONCERNING CYTOKINES AND CHEMOKINES IN EXPERIMENTAL DEMYELINATING DISEASE

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) has served as a model for human demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis, EAE is mediated by CD4(+) T lymphocytes of the TH1 subset, These T cells pro duce inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that are associated with pa thogenicity. The disease is downregulated by other T cells, presumably of the TH2 subset that secrete a different pattern of cytokines which modulate the activity of the pathogenic TH1 cells. Ongoing studies sh ould provide insight into how the interactions of T-cell subsets impac t on the pathogenesis of autoimmune demyelinating diseases. (C) 1998 W iley-Liss, Inc.