Journal of the Neurological Sciences
Volume 200, Issue 1 , Pages 53-55, 15 August 2002

Serial analysis of cytokine mRNA profiles in whole blood samples from patients with early multiple sclerosis

  • K.G Kahl

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Department of Psychiatry, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany. Tel.: +49-451-500-2921; fax: +49-451-500-2603
    • ,
  • N Kruse
    • ,
  • K.V Toyka
    • ,
  • P Rieckmann

Department of Neurology, Clinical Research Unit for Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology, Julius-Maximilians University, Würzburg, Germany

Received 23 July 2001; received in revised form 29 March 2002; accepted 2 May 2002.

Abstract 

In this pilot study, we serially determined the cytokine messenger RNA (mRNA) expression pattern in whole blood samples from 12 patients with clinical isolated syndrome suggestive of early multiple sclerosis (MS) using a new sensitive quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Significantly higher levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α; ×5.1), interferon-γ (IFN-γ; ×4.8) and interleukin-10 (IL-10; ×5.6) mRNA were detected in MS patients at the time of a relapse compared to healthy controls. Treatment with i.v. methylprednisolone (MP) led to an increase of IL-4 mRNA and a significant decrease of IFN-γ and TNF-α mRNA expression. In this cohort of clinically stable patients, proinflammatory cytokines remained low during the 1-year follow-up period. As several indications point to a cytokine dysregulation in MS, quantitative analysis of cytokine mRNA profiles in whole blood samples by real time PCR may be a useful immunological marker to monitor disease activity in future therapeutic trials in MS.

Keywords:  Multiple sclerosis, Th1/Th2 immune response, Quantitative PCR

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PII: S0022-510X(02)00136-3

Journal of the Neurological Sciences
Volume 200, Issue 1 , Pages 53-55, 15 August 2002

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