Dietary naringenin alleviates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice partially via estrogen receptor-mediated pathway.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by inflammation, demyelination, axonal injury, and loss of oligodendrocytes. Disease severity is influenced by sex hormones, particularly estrogens, which protects against MS and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). However, its clinical use is limited by risks such as thrombosis and reproductive tumors. Naringenin, a citrus-derived flavonoid, exhibits anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties and has been reported to possess phytoestrogenic activity. In this study, we investigated whether dietary naringenin alleviates autoimmune neuroinflammation in a mouse model of MS with estrogen deficiency induced by ovariectomy. Using a combination of network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vivo experiments, we examined the effects of naringenin on EAE progression, immune cell responses, cytokine profiles, and estrogen receptor (ESR) signaling. Network pharmacology identified common targets of naringenin, estrogen, and MS, and molecular docking showed stable binding to ESR1. In ovariectomized EAE mice, naringenin attenuated EAE progression via dampening antigen-specific T cell responses, decreasing TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β, IFN-γ and IL-17A and increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-β. Furthermore, naringenin raised serum estradiol and CNS ESRα expression, and its benefits were partially reduced by the ESR antagonist ICI182,780, suggesting ESR signaling contributes to, but does not fully explain, naringenin's immunomodulatory actions. Overall, these findings demonstrate that dietary naringenin ameliorates autoimmune neuroinflammation in an estrogen-deficient EAE model through mechanisms partially dependent on estrogen receptor signaling, supporting its potential as a dietary or adjunctive strategy for MS.