| Grant number: | 14/11588-1 |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation |
| Start date: | July 01, 2014 |
| End date: | June 30, 2015 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Immunology - Applied Immunology |
| Principal Investigator: | Liana Maria Cardoso Verinaud |
| Grantee: | Ana Carolina de Carvalho |
| Host Institution: | Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil |
Abstract The Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE), a murine model for the study of multiple sclerosis, consists in a chronical inflammation of the neural tissue triggered by the immune response against components of the central nervous system, resulting in the gradual loss of the neuromotor functions. The autoimmune neuro-inflammation is orchestrated by cells and molecules that infiltrate the Central Nervous System (CNS) promoting local destruction. The treatment of multiple sclerosis is based on the administration of pharmaceuticals able to modulate/suppress de immune system. However, such drugs can also entail unwanted effects by suppressing the immunological system of an organism as a whole, leaving it more susceptible to opportunistic infections. This way, the identification of new pharmaceuticals with therapeutic potential and reduced side effects is necessary. In this context, accumulated evidences support the utilization of antimalarial drugs in the control of the autoimmune inflammation. Our group has demonstrated, previously, that the chloroquine modulates EAE by reducing the local inflammation and inducing regulatory T cells. Nevertheless, little is known about the effect of artesunate (ART) in the inflammation. Interestingly, it was demonstrated recently that the administration of ART reduced inflammation in experimental rheumatoid arthritis. In view of this evidences presented at literature, the administration of ART can result in the development of a new therapeutical approach in the control of EAE. For this reason, the objective of the present study is to verify if the administration of artesunate reduces the clinical course of EAE in a profilatic and therapeutical way. The in loco expression of factors involved with the autoimmune neuro-inflammation in mice with EAE treated with ART will also be investigated. | |
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