Dianne Lorton
Kent State University, USA
Title: It takes a lot of Nerve to tell the immune system what to do in autoimmune arthritis
Biography
Biography: Dianne Lorton
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: In 80% of patients, major life stressors precede onset of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) linking stress pathway activation to disease onset. We examined the contribution of high sympathetic nervous system activity to RA onset using the adjuvant-induced (AA) arthritis model in Lewis rats.
Methodology: Rats were immunized with complete Freund’s adjuvant to induce AA. From day (D) 12 (disease onset) through D28, rats were treated with vehicle or 2 mg/kg/day moxonidine, an imidazoline receptor-1 agonist that acts centrally to reduce SNS tone. Disease outcome was assessed using dorsoplantar widths and X-ray analysis. Cytokines critical for inflammation and CD4+ Th cell development (interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, IL-6, IL-2, IL-4, IFN-gamma, and tumor growth factor (TGF)-beta) were assessed in spleen, draining lymph node (DLN) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by enzyme-linked immunoassays.