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Seminal vesicle fluid ameliorates autoimmune response within central nervous system

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 12, pages 116–118 (2015)Cite this article

Changes in EAE-associated gene expression were estimated during the peak of the disease (day 14 after EAE immunization). Because EAE is a T cell-mediated disease, we investigated the changes in IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-17 and FoxP3 expression as representatives of Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg, respectively (Figure 1b).

Seminal vesicle fluid administration resulted in a significant decreased in IFN-γ expression in the brain compared with saline-treated animals. In addition, IFN-γ expression was significantly decreased in animals treated with 0.1 mg/ml chymotrypsin compared with saline- and seminal vesicle fluid-treated animals. IL-17 expression was also determined because it is a critical cytokine in EAE. Injecting animals with seminal vesicle fluid significantly downregulated IL-17 expression compared with the saline- and 0.1 mg/ml chymotrypsin-treated animals. In contrast, IL-17 expression in the 0.1 mg/ml chymotrypsin-treated animals was markedly increased compared with in saline-treated animals. To further explore the mechanism of the decreased clinical score upon seminal vesicle fluid treatment, the expression of IL-4 and FoxP3 was investigated.5,6 FoxP3 is indicative of naturally occurring Tregs which have an anti-inflammatory effect.5 IL-4 is also indicative of the Th2 response and exhibits an ameliorating effect on EAE.6 No significant differences were observed in IL-4 expression between the groups treated with saline, 0.1 mg/ml chymotrypsin, or seminal vesicle fluid. Regarding FoxP3, significant upregulation of FoxP3 expression was observed in the seminal vesicle fluid-treated animals compared with the 0.1 mg/ml chymotrypsin- and saline-treated animals, suggesting Treg upregulation upon seminal vesicle fluid treatment. No significant differences in FoxP3 expression were observed between the groups of animals treated with 0.1 mg/ml chymotrypsin or saline.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their gratitude to Dr Reza Khodarahmi and Dr Mitra Bakhtiari for their useful advice and valuable discussions. Sincere thanks are due to Professor Nariman Mosaffa for her invaluable support and discussions. This work was supported by the Deputy of Research, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, under reference No. 90276. Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on Cellular & Molecular Immunology's website. (http://www.nature.com/cmi).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran

    Nafiseh Pakravan

  2. Department of Immunology, Medical School, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

    Ameneh Ghaffarinia & Ali Mostafaie

  3. Department of Anatomy, Medical School, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

    Cyrus Jalili

  4. Department of Immunology, Pasture Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran

    Farhad Riazi-Rad

  5. Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

    Marzieh Tajedini

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Correspondence to Nafiseh Pakravan.

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Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on Cellular & Molecular Immunology's website. (http://www.nature.com/cmi).

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Pakravan, N., Ghaffarinia, A., Jalili, C. et al. Seminal vesicle fluid ameliorates autoimmune response within central nervous system. Cell Mol Immunol 12, 116–118 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/cmi.2014.88

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