Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis raises betaine levels in the spinal cord of strain 13 guinea-pigs

Chronic relapsing experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis, was induced in Strain 13 guinea-pigs by subcutaneous injection of spinal cord homogenate and Freund's incomplete adjuvant supplemented with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. High resolution 1H NMR spectra of CNS tissue extracts indicated that the levels of choline metabolites, particularly betaine, were elevated in the spinal cord tissue, the principal site of lesion formation in this guinea-pig strain. The spectra also show that N-acetylated compounds are slightly depleted in the disease. The results are discussed in relation to the biochemical interpretation of NMR spectra obtained in vivo from patients with multiple sclerosis.