Anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory potential of human immunoglobulin applied intrathecally in Lewis rat experimental autoimmune neuritis

•Intrathecal immunoglobulins (Ig) access the main site of inflammation in EAN.•Intrathecal Ig ameliorates clinical signs in Lewis rats neuritis model.•It reduces autoimmune inflammation, demyelination and complement activation.•In a preventive concent at low concentrations it induces a Th2 cytokine shift.•Intrathecal Ig could be a novel treatment option for autoimmune neuropathies.

Intravenous human immunoglobulins dominate in the treatment of autoimmune neuropathies. We introduce intrathecal application as a new option for experimental autoimmune neuritis in Lewis rats. After immunisation with neuritogenic P2 peptide, we show a therapeutic and preventive effect of intrathecal human immunoglobulins (5-40 mg/kg) on clinical and electrophysiological neuritis signs. Histology corroborated a lower degree of inflammation, demyelination, ICAM-1-dependent blood-nerve-barrier permeability and complement activation in the sciatic nerve. After preventive application, immunoglobulins induced a Th2 cytokine shift in the peripheral nerves already before clinical neuritis signs. Intrathecal immunoglobulin application could be a novel immunomodulatory option for autoimmune neuropathies.

Graphical abstractDownload high-res image (211KB)Download full-size image