Ganglioside epitopes for treating Guillain-Barre syndrome
Disclosed are compositions and methods for treating Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in a subject that involves neutralizing specific pathogenic anti-glycolipid antibodies in the circulation of the subject. This can involve administering to the subject a molecular mimic of a ganglioside that serves as a specific competitive inhibitor for anti-ganglioside antibodies in the circulation. Also disclosed is an animal model of GBS having anti-ganglioside antibodies in the circulation.
1. An isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:5.
2. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the isolated polypeptide of claim 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.
3. A method of treating Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in a subject, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising the polypeptide of claim 1 .
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the polypeptide is an anti-idiotypic antibody.