Suppression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by dermatan sulfate

The effect of dermatan sulfate (DS) on the treatment of Lewis rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was examined. DS, a sulfated glycosaminoglycan, has been reported to exhibit anticoagulant and fibrinolytic activities. DS treatment (50 mg/kg/day) facilitates recovery from the clinical manifestations of EAE. In this study, the fibrinolytic activity was higher in DS-treated rats than in saline-treated rats. Although the degree of perivascular mononuclear cell infiltration in the spinal cord was not suppressed in DS-treated rats compared to that in saline-treated rats, perivascular fibrin deposition was markedly suppressed in DS-treated rats. These findings suggest that DS would act as an effective therapeutic agent for EAE by preventing fibrin deposition.