Background Our previous study had demonstrated that ulinastatin （UTI） had a neuroprotective effect in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis （EAE）. Methylprednisolone has been recommended to be a standard drug in multiple sclerosis （MS） therapies. The present study was to investigate the protective effects of UTI combined methylprednisolone in EAE. Methods Mice were divided into a UTI treatment group, a methylprednisolone treatment group, a combined treatment group with UTI and methylprednisolone, a normal saline treatment group, and a normal control group. EAE mice were induced in groups receiving different combined treatments, or respective monotherapies. Demyelination was evaluated by Solochrome cyanin staining. 2＇,3＇-cyclic nucleotide 3＇- phosphodiesterase （CNP）/myelin basic protein （MBP）/the precursor form of nerve growth factor （proNGF）/p75/inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS） proteins in cerebral cortex of EAE were detected by Western blotting. Results The combined treatment group had a lower clinical score （0.61±0.06） and demyelinating score （1.33±0.33） than the groups with normal saline （clinical score： 1.39±0.08, P 〈0.001; demyelinating score： 2.75±0.49, P 〈0.05） or monotheraphies. Compared with the saline treated EAE group, UTI combined methylprednisolone significantly increased expressions of CNP （1.14±0.06 vs. 0.65±0.04, P 〈0.001）, MBP （1.28±0.14 vs. 0.44±0.17, P 〈0.001）, and decreased expressions of proNGF （1.08±0.10 vs. 2.32±0.12, P 〈0.001）, p75 （1.13±0.13 vs. 2.33±0.17, P 〈0.001）, and iNOS （1.05±0.31 vs. 2.17±0.13, P 〈0.001） proteins in EAE. Furthermore, UTI combined methylprednisolone could significantly upregulate MBP （1.28±0.14 vs. 1.01±0.15, P 〈0.05） expression and downregulate iNOS （1.05±0.31 vs. 1.35±0.14, P 〈0.05） expression compared to methylprednisolone treatment EAE group. And proNGF expression was significantly lower in combined treatment （1.08±0.10） than that in U
SHU Ya-qing YANG Yu WANG Yu-ge DAI Yong-qiang XIAO Li QIU Wei LU Zheng-qi WU Ai-ming RUAN Heng-fang HU Xue-qiang
