Effects of isoxazolo-pyridinone 7e, a potent activator of the Nurr1 signaling pathway, on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune chronic disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by immune-mediated inflammation, demyelination and subsequent axonal damage. Gene expression profiling showed that Nurr1, an orphan nuclear receptor, is down-regulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of MS patients. Nurr1 exerts an anti-inflammatory role repressing the activity of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF-kB.