THE EXPRESSION OF CYTOKINE MESSENGER-RNA IN THE CAUDA-EQUINA OF LEWISRATS WITH EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGIC NEURITIS

Autoreactive CD4 + T cells can transfer experimental allergic neuritis (EAN) to naive recipients. In order to further analyze the role of th ese T cells and their corresponding cytokines in EAN, we studied the e xpression of mRNA for IFN-gamma, IL-4, and LL-IO in the cauda equina o f rats with EAN using a quantitative competitive reverse transcriptase PCR method. Nerves were studied on days 0 (pre-immunization), 10 (dis ease onset), 13 (clinical progression), 16 (disease peak), as well as 20, 24, and 34 post immunization (recovery). IFN-gamma messages increa sed at disease onset and peaked at day 13 p.i. IL-10 message remained at a very low level at disease onset and surged at day 16. Both messag es were low in recovery stage. IL-4 message was undetectable at any ti me point. These data suggest a pro-inflammatory role of IFN-gamma and anti-inflammatory role of IL-IO in EAN lesions. It is also possible th at a clonal switch from Th1 to Th2 occurs in EAN lesions during the di sease course. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.