Background and purpose: Oligodendrocytes are responsible for myelin synthesis in the central nervous system (CNS). Olig1 and Olig2 play an important role in regulating the development of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OLPs). Myelin basic protein (MBP) is the main component of myelin sheath. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) has an important role in myelination and pathology of multiple sclerosis (MS). This study investigates the effects of LIF on the expression of MBP, Olig1 and Olig2 in the cerebral cortex of cuprizone-induced MS mice. Materials and methods: In order to induce MS the mice were treated by Cuprizone for 5 weeks. The mice were then divided into three groups. The first group was injected LIF (25 µg/kg BW per day, i.p.) for 6 weeks. The second group (SHAM) received normal saline, i.p. for six weeks and the third group did not receive any injection. The mice were killed after six weeks and the cerebral cortex was harvested and MBP, Olig1 and Olig2 expression was studied by western blotting. Results: The results indicate that MBP, Olig1 and Olig2 expression in the cerebral cortical extracts was significantly increased in the LIF injected group compared with control and SHAM groups (P<0.001). Conclusion: This study reveals that LIF not only increases Olig1 and Olig2 expression in the oligodendrocytes and enhances oligodendrocytes activity and MBP expression, but also plays an important role in the pathophysiology of MS.

Keywords: Leukemia inhibitory factor, Olig1, Olig2, oligodendrocytes, multiple sclerosis

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