The adenosine A2A receptor antagonist SCH58261 reduces macrophage/microglia activation and protects against experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice

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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) affecting more than 2.5 million individuals worldwide. In the present study, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice were treated with adenosine receptor A2A antagonist SCH58261 at different periods of EAE development. The administration of SCH58261 at 11–28 days post-immunization (d.p.i.) with MOG improved the neurological deficits. This time window corresponds to the therapeutic time window for MS treatment. SCH58261 significantly reduced the CNS neuroinflammation including reduced local infiltration of inflammatory cells, demyelination, and the numbers of macrophage/microglia in the spinal cord. Importantly, SCH58261 ameliorated the EAE-induced neurobehavioral deficits. By contrast, the SCH58261 treatment was ineffective when administered at the beginning of the onset of EAE (i.e., 1–10 d.p.i). The identification of the effective therapeutic window of A2A receptor antagonist provide insight into the role of A2A receptor signaling in EAE, and support SCH58261 as a candidate for the treatment of MS in human.