CHRONIC RELAPSING EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS IN THE GUINEA‐PIG: IN‐VITRO ANALYSIS OF MENINGEAL INFLAMMATORY CELLS

Abstract

Inflammatory cells from the meninges of guinea pigs with chronic relapsing experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (CREAE) were isolated and compared to a similar cell population obtained from guinea pigs with acute EAE [experimental allergic encephalitis]. A mean of 6.2 .times. 106 cells were recovered from the brains of animals with CREAE while a similar number of cells (8.0 .times. 106) was obtained from animals with acute EAE. Only 5.3% of the cells from animals with CREAE were phagocytic vs. 28% of the cells obtained from animals with acute EAE. The meningeal inflammatory cells from guinea pigs with CREAE did not respond in the lymphocyte transformation test to specific antigens or to mitogen. Peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) from these animals proliferated in the presence of tuberculin and of mitogen, but not with the brain antigen myelin basic protein (MBP). The meningeal inflammatory cells from animals with acute EAE responded to mitogen and PEC from the same animals responded to both the specific antigens and to the mitogen. The meningeal inflammatory cells and PEC from the guinea pigs with CREAE behaved in a manner similar to similar cell populations obtained from guinea pigs fully protected against clinical signs of acute EAE.