Fluorinated apelin-13 mediates neuroprotective effects in multiple sclerosis models.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune and neurodegenerative disease leading to demyelination and axonal loss. Current treatments are immunomodulatory or immunosuppressive drugs acting on the inflammatory component. However, these treatments do not adequately address the crucial aspect of neuroprotection. Recently, an association between an altered balance of adipokines and MS has been proposed as both a risk factor for developing MS and a chronic disease aggravating factor. Specifically, a decrease of apelin plasma levels in MS patients compared to controls correlates with the number of relapses and disease severity. Here we report a dramatic downregulation of apelin levels in the CNS of EAE mice which is also detected in MS patients brain samples compared to controls. Exploiting innovative design and synthesis techniques, we engineered a novel fluorinated apelin-13 peptide characterized by enhanced plasmatic stability compared to its native counterpart. With this peptide, we assessed the potential therapeutic benefits of apelin preventive supplementation in the EAE mouse model. We show that the fluorinated Apelin-13 peptide ameliorates EAE clinical score and preserves myelin content in the EAE MOG model recapitulating the progressive form of disease. These results combined with ex-vivo experiments in brain organotypic slices and in vitro studies in neurons and primary microglia and macrophages suggest that apelin has neuroprotective effects and influences the microglia/macrophages function.

Implication of the Transmembrane Domain in the Interleukin 10 Receptor Platform Oligomerisation.

Interleukin 10 (IL-10) exerts anti-inflammatory and immune regulatory roles through its fixation to the IL-10 receptor (IL-10R). The two subunits (IL-10Rα and IL-10Rß) organise themselves to form a hetero-tetramer to induce the activation of the transcription factor STAT3. We analysed the activation patterns of the IL-10R, especially the contribution of the transmembrane (TM) domain of the IL-10Rα and IL-10Rß subunits, as evidence accumulates that this short domain has tremendous implications in receptor oligomerisation and activation. We also addressed whether targeting the TM domain of IL-10R with peptides mimicking the TM sequences of the subunits translates into biological consequences. The results illustrate the involvement of the TM domains from both subunits in receptor activation and feature a distinctive amino acid crucial for the interaction. The TM peptide targeting approach also appears to be suitable for modulating the activation of the receptor through its action on the dimerization capabilities of the TM domains and thereby constitutes a potential new strategy for the modulation of the inflammation in pathologic contexts.

Toward a Combination of Biomarkers for Molecular Characterization of Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system associated with chronic inflammation, demyelination, and axonal damage. MS is a highly heterogeneous disease that leads to discrepancies regarding the clinical appearance, progression, and therapy response of patients. Therefore, there is a strong unmet need for clinically relevant biomarkers capable of recapitulating the features of the disease. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a valuable model for studying the pathophysiology of MS as it recapitulates the main hallmarks of the disease: inflammation, blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, gliosis, myelin damage, and repair mechanisms. In this study, we used the EAE-PLP animal model and established a molecular RNA signature for each phase of the disease (onset, peak, remission). We compared variances of expression of known biomarkers by RT-qPCR in the brain and spinal cord of sham and EAE animals monitoring each of the five hallmarks of the disease. Using magnetic cell isolation technology, we isolated microglia and oligodendrocytes of mice of each category, and we compared the RNA expression variations. We identify genes deregulated during a restricted time frame, and we provide insight into the timing and interrelationships of pathological disease processes at the organ and cell levels.

The Translatability of Multiple Sclerosis Animal Models for Biomarkers Discovery and Their Clinical Use.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system which is characterized by demyelinating lesions and axonal damage. MS is a complex disease characterized by important pathophysiological heterogeneity affecting the clinical appearance, progression and therapeutic response for each patient. Therefore, there is a strong unmet need to define specific biomarkers that will reflect the different features of the disease. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the most commonly used experimental model for the study of MS, as it resembles the pathological features of human MS in many aspects and has allowed for the elucidation of pathogenesis pathways and the validation of certain targets for MS therapies. In this review, we discuss clinically relevant MS molecular biomarkers, divided into five groups based on the key pathological hallmarks of MS: inflammation, blood-brain barrier disruption, myelin and axonal damage, gliosis and, ultimately, repair mechanisms. To address the feasibility of translation between the animal model and human disease, we present an overview of several molecular biomarkers of each category and compare their respective deregulation patterns. We conclude that, like any disease animal model, EAE models can sometimes fail to mimic the entire spectrum of human disease, but they can nonetheless recapitulate the disease's primary hallmarks. We show that the EAE model is a valuable tool for understanding MS physiopathological mechanisms and for identifying biomarkers fundamental for drug development.

Disruption of Sema3A/Plexin-A1 inhibitory signalling in oligodendrocytes as a therapeutic strategy to promote remyelination.

Current treatments in multiple sclerosis (MS) are modulating the inflammatory component of the disease, but no drugs are currently available to repair lesions. Our study identifies in MS patients the overexpression of Plexin-A1, the signalling receptor of the oligodendrocyte inhibitor Semaphorin 3A. Using a novel type of peptidic antagonist, we showed the possibility to counteract the Sema3A inhibitory effect on oligodendrocyte migration and differentiation in vitro when antagonizing Plexin-A1. The use of this compound in vivo demonstrated a myelin protective effect as shown with DTI-MRI and confirmed at the histological level in the mouse cuprizone model of induced demyelination/remyelination. This effect correlated with locomotor performances fully preserved in chronically treated animals. The administration of the peptide also showed protective effects, leading to a reduced severity of demyelination in the context of experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE). Hence, the disruption of the inhibitory microenvironmental molecular barriers allows normal myelinating cells to exert their spontaneous remyelinating capacity. This opens unprecedented therapeutic opportunity for patients suffering a disease for which no curative options are yet available.