Effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation on oxidative stress in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) reproduces a multiple sclerosis (MS)-like experimental model. The main objective was to evaluate the effect of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (EL-EMF) application, like a paradigm of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the development of EAE. Rats were injected with a single dose of 150 μg of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG, fragment 35-55) to produce experimental MS. To assess the effect of TMS application in EAE, the rats were treated with TMS (60 Hz and 0.7 mT) for 2 h in the morning, once a day, 5 days a week, during 3 weeks. TMS was applied to the head. The effect of TMS on EAE was evaluated as motor symptoms and, oxidative and cell damage. The data showed that MOG induced motor symptoms as tail paralysis and limb paresis/paralysis, oxidative stress and cell death similar to MS when compared with control animals. Importantly, TMS application attenuated motor symptoms, oxidative and cell damage, whereas it increased antioxidant system. Our findings suggest that: (i) MOG reproduces an experimental model of MS characterised by oxidative and cell damage; and (ii) TMS application decreases oxidative stress and cell death induced by MOG.