arvanil and Body-Weight

This study examined the immunomodulatory effect of arvanil, a synthetic capsaicin-anandamide hybrid. Arvanil inhibits lymphocyte proliferation and IFN-gamma production. The phenotype of activated CD4+T cells treated with arvanil shows a down-regulation of T cell activation markers such as CD25, HLA-DR and CD134/OX40. Arvanil and anandamide do not induce apoptosis on CD4+T cells. Arvanil blocks the G1/S phase transition of the cell cycle in stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells, inducing activation of p21waf-1/cip-1 and phosphorylation of Akt/PKB. In vivo, arvanil ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in the SJL/J mouse. Our findings have relevance for the use of arvanil and related compounds as a novel immunotherapeutic approach in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Topics: Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Blotting, Western; Body Weight; Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; Capsaicin; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Cell Line; Cell Proliferation; Cytokines; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; Drug Interactions; Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental; Endocannabinoids; Enzyme Activation; Female; Flow Cytometry; Humans; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Lymphocyte Activation; Mice; Myelin Proteolipid Protein; Peptide Fragments; Polyunsaturated Alkamides; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Statistics, Nonparametric; Time Factors