Multiple sclerosis is a T cell-medi

Multiple sclerosis is a T cell-mediated inflammatory, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, accompaniedby neuronal degeneration. Based on the anti-inflammatory effects of Ginkgolide K (GK), a plateletactivating factor antagonist, we explored the possible application of GK in the treatment of MS. The resultsshowed that GK effectively ameliorated the severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. The interventionof GK inhibited the infiltration of inflammatory cells and demyelination in the spinal cord. At thesame time, the expression of the inflammation-related molecules TLR4, NF-κB, and COX2 in the spinal cord wassignificantly lower in the GK-treated mice, indicating that GK intervention can inhibit the inflammatory microenvironmentof the spinal cord in EAE mice. In mouse spleen lymphocytes, GK increased the proportion ofregulatory T cells (Treg) and reduced the proportion of T helper 17 cells (Th17), modifying the imbalancebetween Th17/Treg cells. Additionally, GK shifted macrophage/microglia polarization from M1 to M2 cell type.Importantly, GK inhibited the expression of chemotactic molecules CCL-2, CCL-3 and CCL-5, thereby limiting themigration of inflammatory cells to the spinal cord. Our results provide the possibility that GK may be a promisingnaturally small molecule compound for the future treatment of MS.