rats immunized with GM1 ganglioside do not develop peripheral neuropathy

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J Neuroimmunol. 2007 Jun 6

rats immunized with GM1 ganglioside do not develop peripheral

neuropathy.

Ilyas AA, Chen ZW.

Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical

School, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ 07652, USA.

Elevated levels of anti-GM1 antibodies are associated with motor

nerve syndromes. Although there is a lot of circumstantial evidence

that anti-GM1 antibodies may be causing the disease, their precise

role remains unclear.

In order to study the role of anti-GM1 antibodies in the

pathogenesis of peripheral neuropathy, eight rats were

injected with GM1 ganglioside mixed with keyhole limpet hemocyanin

(KLH) and emulsified with Freund's adjuvant and three rats were

immunized with GM1 in liposomes. Although IgM class anti-GM1

antibodies were detected in all animals immunized with GM1, none of

the animals exhibited overt signs of neuropathy during 6 months

after initial immunization.

IgG antibody to GM1 was not produced in any of the animals. There

was no pathological evidence of nerve damage. These studies suggest

that elevated levels of IgM anti-GM1 antibodies by themselves do not

cause nerve damage in rats.