Pegylated interferon beta in the treatment of the Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus mouse model of multiple sclerosis

- Systemically administered pegylated IFNβ does not directly influence the immune response in the CNS.
- Systemically administered pegylated IFNβ has no antiviral properties in the CNS.
- Systemically administered pegylated IFNβ has no effect neither in blocking disease progression nor in reducing intrathecal antibody production.

We evaluated the effects of pegylated-interferonβ-1a (pegIFNβ) therapy on intrathecal antibody responses, disability progression, and viral load in the CNS in mice infected with the Theiler's virus (TMEV), an animal model of progressive disability in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The lack of a direct antiviral activity in the CNS, the absence of any effect upon the intrathecal immune response, and the failure to treat disease progression, indicate that the immunomodulatory effects of pegIFNβ-1a likely occur in the systemic circulation rather than within the CNS. These results may be relevant to the relative lack of effect of IFNβ in progressive MS relative to relapsing MS.

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