The potential role of T cell migration and chemotaxis as targets of glucocorticoids in multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Abstract

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are the most commonly prescribed drugs for the treatment of acute disease bouts in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. While T lymphocytes were shown to be essential targets of GC therapy, at least in animal models of MS, the mechanisms by which GCs modulate T cell function are less clear. Until now, apoptosis induction and repression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in T cells have been considered the most critical mechanisms in ameliorating disease symptoms. However, this notion is being challenged by increasing evidence that the control of T cell migration and chemotaxis by GCs might be even more important for the treatment of neuroinflammatory diseases. In this review we aim to provide an overview of how GCs impact the morphological alterations that T cells undergo during activation and migration as well as the influences that GCs have on the directed movement of T cells under the influence of chemokines. A deeper understanding of these processes should not only help to advance our understanding of how GCs exert their beneficial effects in MS therapy but may reveal future strategies to intervene in the pathogenesis of neuroinflammatory diseases.