Prior poliomyelitis-evidence of cytokine production in the central nervous system

Gonzalez, Henrik; Khademi, Mohsen; Andersson, Magnus; Wallström, Erik; Borg, Kristian; Olsson, Tomas

« Previous Next »Journal of the Neurological Sciences
Volume 205, Issue 1 , Pages 9-13, 15 December 2002

Prior poliomyelitis-evidence of cytokine production in the central nervous system

Henrik Gonzalez
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +46-8-6-555-318; fax: +46-8-6-226-555.
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Neurology, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
Mohsen Khademi
- Department of Neuroimmunology Unit, Centre for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
Magnus Andersson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Neurology, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neuroimmunology Unit, Centre for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
Erik Wallström
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Neurology, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neuroimmunology Unit, Centre for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
Kristian Borg
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Neurology, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
Tomas Olsson
- Department of Neuroimmunology Unit, Centre for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden

Received 25 October 2001; received in revised form 29 January 2002; accepted 9 April 2002.

Abstract

In order to study the role of a possible inflammatory reaction in the post-polio syndrome (PPS) four key cytokines were determined by means of mRNA expression in mononuclear cells from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and peripheral blood of 13 patients. Data were compared with those of samples from eight non-inflammatory control persons.

The PPS-patients displayed increased numbers of CSF cells expressing mRNA for TNF-α (p<0.02), IFN-γ (p<0.02), IL-4 (p<0.001) and IL-10 (p<0.05), in comparison to the non-inflammatory controls.

As positive controls, samples from patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) were examined.

We conclude that there is a chronic intra CNS expression of inflammatory cytokines in PPS, in the range of that in MS, a well known neuroinflammatory disease. However, the pathogenic significance of this is unclear.

Keywords: Post-polio syndrome (PPS), Inflammation, CSF, Cytokines, Multiple sclerosis