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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

An Ex vivo Model of an Oligodendrocyte-directed T-Cell Attack in Acute Brain Slices
Published on: February 5, 2015
Myelin-basic protein-reactive specific CD4+ and CD8+ NK lymphocytes induce morphological changes in neuronal cell
Quan-yu Zhang1, Jing-hui Huang, Hong-zeng Li
1Department of Stomatology, Tangdu Hospital, Xi'an, China.
Background:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease characterized by loss of myelin. However, data indicate that autoimmune cells could directly impair neuronal cell bodies and myelin sheath is lacking. The aim of the present study was to determine morphological evidence of the direct impairment of neurons by autoreactive lymphocytes and to further identify the subtypes of these lymphocytes.
Methods:
Lymphocytes activated by myelin basic protein (MBP) 83-99 and neurons of human brain were co-cultured for 24 h.
Results:
Observations through scanning electron microscope showed that MBP-specific lymphocytes (CD4+, CD8+ cells, and NK cells) aggregated in the vicinity of the neuronal cell bodies and the myelin sheaths and attacked them directly, resulting in the degeneration of both neurons.
Conclusions:
Our studies provide morphological evidences of the direct impairment of neuronal cell bodies and myelin sheaths by MBP-specific lymphocytes. Our studies also suggest that MBP-specific CD4+, CD8+, and NK cells might be involved in this process. These processes may play a role in the direct impairment of neurons and myelin sheaths in early stages of MS and provide evidences for the application of immunosuppressant therapy of MS.
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