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Updated: Aug 25, 2026

Modeling Multiple Sclerosis in the Two Sexes: MOG35-55-Induced Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Published on: October 13, 2023
Estriol treatment ameliorates disease in males with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis: implications for
Karen M Palaszynski1, Hongbiao Liu, Kyi Kyi Loo
1Department of Neurology, Reed Neurological Research Center, University of California School of Medicine, 750 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Abstract:
Estrogen treatment has been found to be protective in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and possibly multiple sclerosis (MS). We investigated whether the effect of estrogen treatment is gender-specific. Estrogen receptor (ER) expressions, ERalpha and ERbeta, were found to be equivalent in both genders. EAE disease severity in both females and males was decreased with estriol treatment as compared to placebo. Finally, proinflammatory cytokine production during autoantigen-specific immune responses was decreased with estriol treatment in both females and males. These data support a potential role for estriol treatment for men in addition to women with MS.

