Efficacy of leukaemia inhibitory factor in experimental autoimmune neuritis

Abstract

Objective: To test the efficacy of leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) in experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN), an animal model of Guillain–Barre Syndrome. Background: Growth factors might be promising treatment in human inflammatory neuropathy. LIF is a cytokine, which exerts neurotrophic and myotrophic properties. Materials and methods: EAN was induced in 24 Lewis rats by the injection of peripheral bovine myelin. At the onset of the disease they were injected in pairs on a random basis either with placebo or murine LIF 10 µg/kg. The injections continued until day 25 when they were killed. The clinical course of the disease and histological pattern of the cauda equina were examined. Results: The severity of the disease was slightly less in the LIF treated group and these animals also had a more rapid recovery. The main pathological features in the cauda equina of both groups were demyelination and remyelination with varying degrees of axonal degeneration, but there were no significant differences in the pathological changes between the groups. Conclusion: The administration of LIF showed a slight, but not significant, improvement in the clinical course of EAN, but no significant evidence on nerve histology. Further investigation of the therapeutic role of LIF would be worthwhile in view of its favourable effects in nerve regeneration.