Background: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) plays a key role in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration and provides anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).
Aim: In this study, we aimed to investigate whether NAD+ affects differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in splenocytes of EAE mice to reveal candidate genes for the pathogenesis of MS.
Methods: The EAE model was used to perform an intervention on NAD+ to investigate its potential as a protective agent in inflammation and demyelination. Transcriptome analysis of nerve tissue was carried out to gain better insights into NAD+ function. Effects of NAD+ on DEGs in the splenocytes of EAE mice were investigated to determine its anti-inflammatory effect.
Results: NAD+ in EAE mice showed the clinical score was significantly improved (EAE 3.190 ± 0.473 vs. NAD+ 2.049 ± 0.715). DEGs (MBOAT2, SLC25A21, and SOX6) between the EAE and the EAE + NAD+ groups showed that SOX6 was significantly improved after NAD+ treatment compared with the EAE group, and other indicators were improved but did not reach statistical significance. NAD+ exhibited clinical scores in EAE mice, and key inflammation was ameliorated in EAE mice spleen after NAD+ intervention, while transcriptome analysis between EAE and EAE + NAD+ groups showed several DEGs in the underlying mechanism.
Conclusion: NAD+ on DEGs attenuates disease severity in EAE. Transcriptome analysis on nerve tissue reveals several protein targets in the underlying mechanisms. However, NAD+ does not significantly improve DEGs in the splenocytes of the EAE model.
Keywords: Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; MBOAT2; NAD+; SLC25A21; SOX6; splenocytes; mRNA.
MBOAT2, SLC25A21, and SOX6 show significant fold change in EAE mice, while SOX6 shows significantly lower expression in the EAE group and the EAE + NAD+ group compared with the Ctrl.NAD+ in the EAE model provides its protective role in inflammation and demyelination.NAD+ exhibits clinical scores in EAE mice.NAD+ does not significantly improve DEGs in splenocytes of the EAE.