Dynamic expression of autophagy-related factors in autoimmune encephalomyelitis and exploration of curcumin therapy

Curcumin has been used in the study of central nervous system immune-related diseases and exerts a substantial neuroprotective effect. However, the mechanism remains unclear. The AKT/mTOR autophagy-related signalling pathway plays an important role in tumour therapy, but whether curcumin plays a therapeutic role in multiple sclerosis (MS) through this signalling pathway remains to be determined. As an animal model of MS, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is induced by the myelin glial glycoprotein MOG35-55 in female C57BL/6 mice. We first evaluated the changes in autophagy levels in EAE mice. Then, curcumin was intraperitoneally injected into the mice, and the expression of AKT/mTOR autophagy signalling pathway-related proteins was evaluated. Our data show that 1. autophagy defects can cause neuronal damage in EAE mice; and 2. curcumin may regulate the activation of autophagy in EAE mice by affecting the AKT/mTOR autophagy signalling pathway, further balancing central nervous system and peripheral autophagy. [Display omitted] •The AKT/mTOR autophagy-related signalling pathway plays an important role in tumour therapy, but whether curcumin plays a therapeutic role in MS through this signalling pathway remains to be studied.•Changes in autophagy levels were first evaluated by dynamically monitoring the expression of LC3-II, Beclin 1, and p62 in mouse spinal cord tissue at different stages after EAE onset. Then, curcumin and rapamycin were intraperitoneally injected into the mice for 15 consecutive days starting on the 8th day of immunization induction. We observed that the level of autophagy in the spinal cords of EAE mice was downregulated and closely related to clinical symptom scores and pathological changes; in addition, curcumin treatment significantly ameliorated clinical scores and inflammatory infiltration in the EAE mice. Compared with those in the EAE group, the AKT-mTOR autophagy signalling pathway-related proteins p-AKT, p-mTOR and p62 weredownregulated in the curcumin-treated group, while LC3-II and Beclin 1 were highly expressed.•Curcumin may regulate the activation of autophagy in EAE mice by affecting the AKT-mTOR autophagy signalling pathway, further balancing central nervous system and peripheral autophagy.Inflammatory changes associated with EAE play a protective role.