Nitric oxide contributes to resistance of the Brown Norway rat to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

The Brown Norway (BN) rat is reported to be resistant to the induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and a number of mechanisms have been suggested to explain this resistance. In work reported here we provide evidence that such resistance in the BN rat can be accounted for, at least in part, by their ability to produce higher levels of nitric oxide (NO) than susceptible strains of rats. Spleen cells from the BN rat make significantly more NO following in vitro stimulation than do cells from the Lewis or PVG rat and following in vivo immunization using complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) the BN rat makes substantially more NO than either susceptible strain. If carbonyl iron is used as adjuvant in vivo there is no increase in NO levels in the BN rat and they are rendered highly susceptible to EAE. Immunizing with CFA simultaneously with neuroantigen and carbonyl iron drives up NO levels and the resistance is restored. EAE produced using carbonyl iron is characterized by extensive macrophage/microglia presence in the central nervous system lesions of the BN rat yet the cytokine profile in the lymph nodes does not differ from that in the EAE Lewis rats.