Pharmacological inhibition of MALT1 protease activity protects mice in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis

21.07.2014

Mc Guire C, Elton L, Wieghofer P, Staal J, Voet S, Demeyer A, Nagel D, Krappmann D, Prinz M, Beyaert R, van Loo G.

J Neuroinflammation. 2014;11(1):124.

J Neuroinflammation.             online article

The present study aimed to elucidate whether MALT1 protease inhibitors are also useful in the treatment of lymphocyte-mediated autoimmune pathologies such as multiple sclerosis (MS). For this, we studied the therapeutic potential of a recently identified inhibitor of MALT1 protease activity, the phenothiazine derivative mepazine, in the context of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). We demonstrate that administration of mepazine prophylactically or after disease onset, can attenuate EAE. Importantly, while complete absence of MALT1 affects the differentiation of regulatory T (Treg) cells in vivo, the MALT1 protease inhibitor mepazine did not affect Treg development.