Interferon in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis: intraventricular administration.

Highly purified rat fibroblast-derived interferon (RfIFN), was administered intraventricularly to Lewis rats affected with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Its effects on both the active and passive forms of EAE were studied. A method was devised to deliver, via a syringe pump, RfIFN (sp. act. 10(8) U/mg) into the third ventricle of control and experimental animals. Rats with either the active form of EAE (produced by injection with myelin basic protein (MBP) in Freund's complete adjuvant) or with adoptively transferred EAE were treated with RfIFN either therapeutically and/or prophylactically. In no instance was a significant difference observed, on the course of EAE, between those animals receiving RfIFN and those receiving "mock" IFN. The pharmacokinetics of the infused RfIFN were also studied.