Gold nanoparticles and polyethylene glycol alleviate clinical symptoms and alter cytokine secretion in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are attractive nanoparticles with unique electronic and optical properties in the nanotechnology field and are widely used in various biomedical fields. Studies have shown that these particles also exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. On the other hand, polyethylene glycol (PEG) that used to stabilize GNPs also exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties due to their membrane resealing properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ameliorative effect of GNPs and PEG in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). EAE was induced in female C57BL/6 mice with injection of an emulsion of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG35-55) peptide and Freund's adjuvant. GNPs measuring 25 nm were prepared, and their size was determined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), then intraperitoneal injection of GNPs and PEG (MW 1500; 30% w/v) was initiated after immunization and continued until the day 27 postimmunization (13 injections in total). The EAE clinical scores and body weights were evaluated. We analyzed cental nervous system's cell infiltration and demyelinated lesions using hematoxylin and eosin and luxol fast blue staining, respectively. Also, interleukin-23 and interleukin-27 were examined using the ELISA technique. The severity of MS symptoms was significantly decreased in the treated groups with GNPs and PEG. Histological examination of the spinal cord showed that the number and severity of cells' infiltration and demyelinated lesions decreased significantly, and also the cytokine levels of IL-23 and IL-27 altered in treated groups. These results show that GNPs and PEG ameliorate the clinical course of EAE in mice. Our findings demonstrate proof of principle for potential of GNPs and PEG as novel agents for therapeutic approaches in the alleviated clinical symptoms of MS. © 2019 IUBMB Life, 71(9):1313-1321, 2019.