van Noort J M
Division of Immunological and Infectious Diseases, TNO Prevention and Health, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Biotherapy. 1998;10(3):237-50. doi: 10.1007/BF02678302.
Multiple sclerosis is the major neurological disease of young adults in the western world, affecting about 1 per 1,000. It is characterised by chronic or recurrent lesions of inflammatory damage in the white matter of the central nervous system. Within such lesions, the protective myelin sheath is stripped off axons by infiltrated macrophages which leads to impaired conductivity. The inflammatory process most likely starts by activation of helper T cells directed against local myelin antigens. Currently, efforts are directed at specifically blocking such myelin-reactive helper T cells in order to control the disease. In this chapter, immunological features of multiple sclerosis and the experimental animal model for the disease, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, are discussed. Next, an overview is presented on myelin antigens that have been suggested to play a role as target antigens in MS. Finally, strategies are discussed that are currently employed to selectively block the activation of T-cells reactive against myelin antigens.
多发性硬化症是西方世界年轻人的主要神经疾病，发病率约为千分之一。其特征是中枢神经系统白质出现慢性或复发性炎症损伤病变。在这些病变中，浸润的巨噬细胞会剥去轴突上的保护性髓鞘，导致传导受损。炎症过程很可能始于针对局部髓鞘抗原的辅助性T细胞的激活。目前，人们致力于特异性阻断此类髓鞘反应性辅助性T细胞以控制疾病。在本章中，将讨论多发性硬化症的免疫学特征以及该疾病的实验动物模型——实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎。接下来，将概述那些被认为在多发性硬化症中作为靶抗原起作用的髓鞘抗原。最后，将讨论目前用于选择性阻断针对髓鞘抗原的T细胞激活的策略。
