Contents of Myelin Basic Protein and Autoantibodies against Brain Proteins in the Experimental Antiphospholipid Syndrome

Abstract

We examined the content of autoantibodies against brain proteins, content of myelin basic protein (MBP), and level of NO synthesis in the cerebellum and cerebral hemispheres on day 18 of pregnancy in BALB/c mice with the experimental antiphospholipid syndrome (APS); the effects of L-arginine on the above indices were also evaluated. As was found, the contents of autoantibodies against brain proteins having the molecular masses 120, 150, and > 170 kDa were greater than in the control. Under APS conditions, the amount of eNOS-produced NO was relatively insufficient; this was observed against the background of total hyperproduction of NO synthesized by iNOS in blood serum. In APS mice, the contents of stable NO metabolites, NO2– and NO3–, in the cerebellum were higher, while these levels in the cerebral hemispheres were lower with respect to the control. There were reasons to believe that the effects of L-arginine under APS conditions of and cerebral dysfunction are provided not only at the expense of influences upon the NO system, but also via antioxidant and cytoprotective properties of this amino acid. In pregnant APS mice, the content of MBP (95–110 kDa) in the cerebellum and that of MBP (18.4 kDa) in the cerebral hemispheres were greater than in the control. In APS animals, administration of L-arginine provided increase in the content of MBP (18.4 kDa) in the cerebral hemispheres compared with the respective index with no treatment. Our results show that the remyelination processes in animals with the APS are activated; this may be interpreted as a compensatory response to the injury.