Therapeutics Potential of Cronassial in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis: Insights Into Glycosphingolipids and Humoral Immunity

Currently, significant attention is being paid to the study of the mechanisms underlying the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), especially factors related to humoral immunity, apoptosis, and sphingolipid metabolism processes. These factors play a key role in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration during both the acute and chronic stages of the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1<i>β</i>, IL-6, and TNF<i>α</i>) in plasma, homogenates of the brain and spinal cord, serum circulating immune complexes (CICs), the apoptosis marker APO-1/Fas, and the content of glycosphingolipids during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and its treatment. The therapeutic agent used in this study was Cronassial, which contains mono-, di-, and trisialylated gangliosides. Our results indicate the significant role of elevated proinflammatory cytokine levels in the pathogenesis of EAE, which initiate the activation of the sphingomyelin cycle and subsequently trigger apoptosis processes. During the study, we observed an increased concentration of APO-1/Fas. Administration of the ganglioside-containing drug in vivo led to the normalization of the levels of the studied factors, demonstrating a neuroprotective effect. According to our findings, this drug regulates the metabolism of glycosphingolipids and the humoral immune factors that were studied.