Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the CNS. Recent studies have described the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of cannabinoids. One of the synthetic components that activate cannabinoid receptors is HU-210. This study aimed to examine the effect of HU-210 on cytokines profile and the clinical signs of the disease in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 48 male C57BL/6 mice were immunized with 250 µg of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide (MOG35–55). Different doses of HU-210 (3¸10¸30 mg/kg, i.p.) were administered for 17 days (every other day) in the 3 groups of mice, respectively. The clinical status of mice during the study was evaluated using the clinical score tests. The animals were sacrificed at the 17th day of treatment and then the serum TNFα, IL-12 and IL-4 levels were measured using the ELISA method.

Results: Results showed that the HU-210-treated mice, especially with a dose of 30 mg/kg, had significantly less clinical score of EAE than the non-treated EAE-induced mice. The administration of HU-210 (30 mg/kg) in the EAE-induced mice significantly decreased the serum TNFα and IL-12 levels. Moreover, the serum IL-4 level was increased significantly in the mice treated with three doses of HU-210 (3, 10, 30 mg/kg) compared to those treated with phosphate.

Conclusion: HU-210, which triggers the stages of an immunological cascade, has a beneficial effect in the EAE. This drug can be used for the acute phase of MS.