Preventive and curative effects of cyclophosphamide in an animal model of Guillain Barrè syndrome.

The immunosuppressive agent cyclophosphamide (CY) was tested in rat experimental allergic neuritis (EAN), a preclinical model of Guillain Barrè syndrome (GBS). CY prophylaxis (day 0 and 14 post-immunization [p.i.]) effectively prevents clinical and histological signs of EAN and also reduces the cytokine and the NF-kappaB p65 expression in the nervous tissue. When administered therapeutically (day 14th p.i.) to rats with established disease CY only affects the clinical symptoms. Both the prophylactic and therapeutic treatment with CY reduced ex vivo antigen-specific T cell proliferative responses. These results warrant studies with CY in those cases of GBS resistant to conventional therapies.