Cornuside alleviates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by inhibiting Th17 cell infiltration into the central nervous system.

The present study was conducted to clarify the therapeutic effect of cornuside on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and its influence on T helper 17 (Th17) cell and regulatory T (Treg) cell infiltration into the central nervous system. Rats were randomly placed into four treatment groups: control, EAE, EAE+cornuside, and EAE+prednisolone. The neurological function scores of rats were assessed daily. On the second day after EAE rats began to show neurological deficit symptoms, the four groups were treated with normal saline, normal saline, cornuside (150 mg/kg), and prednisolone (5 mg/kg), respectively. The treatment was discontinued after two weeks, and the spinal cord was obtained for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and luxol fast blue staining, as well as retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γ (RORγ) and forkhead box protein P3 (Foxp3) immunohistochemical staining. Blood was collected for Th17 and Treg cell flow cytometry testing, and the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-10, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), IL-6, IL-23, and IL-2 were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Compared with rats in the EAE group, rats in the EAE+cornuside and EAE+prednisolone groups began to recover from neurological deficits earlier, and had a greater degree of improvement of symptoms. Focal inflammation, demyelination, and RORγ-positive cell infiltration were reduced by cornuside or prednisolone treatment, whereas the Foxp3-positive cell numbers were not significantly different. Meanwhile, the number of Th17 cells and the IL-17A, IL-6, and IL-23 levels were lower in the blood after cornuside or prednisolone treatment, whereas the number of Treg cells or the levels of IL-10, TGF-β, and IL-2 were not markedly different. Cornuside can alleviate symptoms of EAE neurological deficits through its anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects, and Th17 cells may be one of its therapeutic targets.