Validation of a novel biomarker for acute axonal injury in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

In multiple sclerosis, inflammatory axonal injury is a key pathological mechanism responsible for the development of progressive neurological dysfunction. The injured axon represents a therapeutic target in this disease; however, therapeutic trials of neuroprotective candidates will initially require preclinical testing in an animal model of inflammatory axonal injury and subsequently the development of a reliable paraclinical measure of axonal degeneration in humans. In the present study, we demonstrate the validity of serum phosphorylated neurofilament H (pNF-H) as a marker of axonal injury in murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).