Matrine downregulates IL-33/ST2 expression in the central nervous system of rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Highlights • The role of IL-33/ST2 axis in the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an experimental model of multiple sclerosis (MS), remains controversial. • While IL-33/ST2 mRNA expression was largely increased in spinal cord of EAE rats, it is inhibited by matrine (MAT), a quinolizidine alkaloid derived from the herb Radix Sophorae Flave, which successfully suppresses EAE. • Our study demonstrates that MAT treatment regulates the inflammatory IL-33/ST2 axis, thus being a novel mechanism underlying the effect of MAT.