Matrine suppresses glutamate excitotoxicity in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (HUM1P.323)

Abstract

Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) is T cell-mediated inflammatory diseases characterized by lymphocyte infiltration and demyelination. Matrine (MAT) is a quinolizidine alkaloid derived from the herb Radix Sophorae Flave and has long been used in the treatment of hepatitis B in clinical without obvious side effects. Previous reports have revealed that MAT restrained the central inflammation after experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the most common animal model of MS due to similar symptoms and mechanisms; however whether MAT is effective to inhibit glutamate excitotoxicity is still unclear. In this study, we provide evidence that MAT attenuated the EAE disease severity, accompanied by down-regulated glutamate level, increased GABA level, as well as promoted the expressions of two dependent glutamate transporters (GLT-1 and GLAST). In addition, MAT treatment significantly decreased the content of the NMDA- and AMPA- glutamate receptor in EAE rats. Together, these data indicate that MAT treatment inhibited glutamate excitotoxicity after EAE, and suggest that MAT may be a novel choice in MS therapy.