PRDX6 controls multiple sclerosis by suppressing inflammation and blood brain barrier disruption

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease with an unknown etiology and has no effective medications despite extensive research. Antioxidants suppress oxidative damages which are implicated in the pathogenesis of MS. In this study, we showed that the expression of an antioxidant protein peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6) is markedly increased in spinal cord of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) compared to other PRDXs. PRDX6 transgenic (Tg) mice displayed a significant decrease in clinical severity and attenuated demyelination in EAE compared to wide type mice. The increased PRDX6 expression in astrocytes of EAE mice and MS patients reduced MMP9 expression, fibrinogen leakage, chemokines, and free radical stress, leading to reduction in blood-brain-barrier (BBB) disruption, peripheral immune cell infiltration, and neuroinflammation. Together, these findings suggest that PRDX6 expression may represent a therapeutic way to restrict inflammation in the central nervous system and potentiate oligodendrocyte survival, and suggest a new molecule for neuroprotective therapies in MS.