Metabolomics approaches in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis

A myelin basic protein (MBP)-induced experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) involves paraplegia due to a reversible thoracolumbar spinal cord impairment. The aims of this study were thus to find significant metabolic biomarkers of inflammation and identify the site of inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) during the acute signs in of the disease using metabolomics. All the EAE samples were associated with higher levels of lactate, ascorbate, glucose and amino acids, and decreased level of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) compared to the control group. A decreased NAA level has been particularly shown in lumbar spinal cord in relationship with the clinical signs.