Treatment of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis with myelin basic protein: which route is best?

When myelin basic protein (BP) has been used for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), it has been injected intramuscularly (IM) or subcutaneously (SC). Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is widely used as a model for MS, and the use of BP for MS is based on its efficacy in EAE. The present work shows that BP is more effective in EAE when administered by intravenous (IV) route than by IM or SC routes. These observations may be pertinent to therapeutic trials in MS.