Modification of lymphoid and brain nerve growth factor levels in systemic lupus erythematosus mice.

In the present work we investigated the production of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the brain and peripheral tissues of female NZB/W F1 mice, a well characterized model of murine lupus. Our results indicate that while no significant difference in the NGF content was observed in the sera and tissues of NZB/W mice and its parental strains during the first months of life, the levels of circulating NGF and the NGF content in the kidneys significantly increase in the autoimmune mice during the development of the disease. The NGF-producing brain regions showed a decrease in NGF concentration in 8 month-old NZB/W mice. Moreover, we found a modification of the NGF concentration in the spleens of autoimmune mice at 5 and 8 months. Our data support the hypothesis of a correlation between NGF and the inflammatory state of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and indicate that NGF could have a role in the pathogenesis of this disease.