engleski

Apoptosis of cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytes in patients with relapsing-remitting, primary and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

Background and aim: Recent data indicate that the apoptotic process is impaired in activated lymphocytes of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). However, the role of lymphocyte apoptosis in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is not completely explained in the literature. The aim of this study was to analyse the apoptosis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lymphocytes in patients with RRMS, PPMS and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Methods: The prospective study included 28 patients with multiple sclerosis diagnosed by McDonald´s criteria: 17 patients with RRMS (4M, 13F) aged 20-51, median 33 years ; 5 patients with PPMS (3M, 2F) aged 24-47, median 45 years ; and 6 patients with SPMS (2M, 4F) aged 30-49, median 39.5 years. Control group consisted of 14 patients with functional neurological disturbances (2M, 12F) aged 18-57 years, median 42 years. Disease duration ranged from 3 months to 15 years, median 6 months in RRMS group ; from 1.5 to 8 years, median 3 years in PPMS group ; and from 3 to 26 years, median 19.5 years in SPMS group. The mean EDSS scale was 3.21 +/- 1.4 in RRMS, 3.9 +/- 0.55 in PPMS, and 6.17 +/- 1.37 in SPMS patients. Apoptosis of CSF lymphocytes was analysed by the use of acridin-orange-ethidium-bromide labelling. Results were presented as mean +/- standard deviation. On statistical analysis one-way ANOVA was used. The values of p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The proportion of apoptotic CSF lymphocytes was significantly lower in all three groups of patients compared to controls (RRMS: 8.97 +/- 3.75, PPMS: 16.84 +/- 1.87, SPMS 15.85 +/- 1.38 vs. controls: 24.23 +/- 4.27, p<0.01). The mentioned proportion was also significantly lower in RRMS patients compared to PPMS and SPMS patients (p<0.01). Conclusions: The differences in apoptosis of CSF lymphocytes point to different patophysiologic events in RRMS patients compared to PPMS and SPMS patients.

Apoptosis; Lymphocytes; Cerebrospinal fluid; Multiple sclerosis

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