Cell death of spinal cord ED1(+) cells in a rat model of multiple sclerosis.

Infiltration of macrophages into the central nervous system and activation of microglia are hallmarks of multiple sclerosis and its animal model-experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Cell death in EAE has been demonstrated as an essential mechanism in the local regulation of the inflammatory reaction, but also as one of the major factors contributing to the destruction of the nervous tissue. The focus of this study was on detection of cell death among ED1(+) cells (macrophages/activated microglia) in the spinal cord of Dark Agouti rats at the peak of EAE.