Figure 2

MP inhibits IFN-γ, but not IL-17 production, in cells infiltrating the CNS of DA rats with EAE. SCC and DLNC were isolated from DA rats immunized with SCH-CFA and injected with MP or PBS, as described in Methods. RNA was isolated from SCC and RT-PCR was performed (A), or SCC were grown in medium and ELISA was performed from cell-free supernatants obtained after 72 hours of cultivation (B). Alternatively, SCC from PBS-treated (C) and MP-treated (D) rats were stained for IFN-γ and IL-17. Results of intracellular staining (C, D) are representative of three independent experiments. The numbers in the plots are means ± SD of the proportions of cells present in the corresponding quadrant obtained in four independent experiments. DLNC were cultivated without (E) or with (F) 1 μg/ml of ConA for 72 hours and cell-culture supernatants were analyzed by ELISA. *p < 0.05 represents a statistically significant difference between the MP and PBS groups.