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Neuroprotection by Ulinastatin in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

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Abstract

Ulinastatin has previously been used as a drug for patients with acute inflammatory disorders. The goal of the present study was to investigate the protective effects of ulinastatin on myelin sheaths and oligodendrocytes in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), and to explore the possible underlying mechanism. Mice were divided into an ulinastatin treatment group, a normal saline treatment group, and a normal control group. EAE was induced in the mice with and without ulinastatin treatment. Demyelination was evaluated, as was the number of oligodendrocytes. The ulinastatin treatment group had a significantly lower clinical score, demyelinating score, and large numbers of oligodendrocytes compared with the group without ulinastatin treatment. Furthermore, ulinastatin treatment increased the expression of nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and protected against oligodendrocyte apoptosis. Thus, ulinastatin is shown to have a protective effect against EAE.

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Abbreviations

UTI:

Ulinastatin

OLG:

Oligodendrocytes

MBP:

Myelin basic protein

IF:

Immunofluorescence

NGF:

Nerve growth factor

BDNF:

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor

CNPase:

2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase

proNGF:

The precursor form of NGF

TUNEL:

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling

BBB:

Blood-brain barrier

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Science and Technology Program of Guangdong Province (No. 2008A030201027).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, MS Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 600 Tianhe Road, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong, China

    Yaqing Shu, Yu Yang, Wei Qiu, Zhengqi Lu, Ying Li, Jian Bao & Xueqiang Hu

  2. The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China

    Ming Feng

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  1. Yaqing Shu
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Correspondence to Xueqiang Hu.

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Yaqing Shu and Yu Yang are contributed equally to this work.

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Shu, Y., Yang, Y., Qiu, W. et al. Neuroprotection by Ulinastatin in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis. Neurochem Res 36, 1969–1977 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-011-0520-4

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