Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the CNS involving T cell targeting of
myelin antigens. During pregnancy, women with MS experience decreased relapses
followed by a post partum disease flare. Using murine experimental autoimmune
encephalomyelitis, we recapitulate pregnancy findings in both relapsing and progressive
models. Pregnant mice produced less TNF-α, IL-17 and exhibited reduced CNS pathology
relative to non-pregnant controls. Microparticles, called exosomes, shed into the blood …