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Increased Brain‐Derived Neurotrophic Factor Expression in White Blood Cells of Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients
Author(s) -
Gielen A.,
Khademi M.,
Muhallab S.,
Olsson T.,
Piehl F.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3083.2003.01260.x
Subject(s) - neurotrophin , nerve growth factor , neuroprotection , neurotrophic factors , multiple sclerosis , medicine , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , brain derived neurotrophic factor , immunology , cytokine , inflammation , immune system , glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor , biology , receptor , biochemistry , in vitro
Central nervous system (CNS)‐autoreactive immune responses can exert neuroprotective effects, possibly mediated via the release of neurotrophic factors from infiltrating leucocytes. Herein, we analysed neurotrophin and cytokine mRNA levels using TaqMan polymerase chain reaction in unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in remission and controls. We demonstrate that mRNA for brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), but not neurotrophin‐3 or nerve growth factor (NGF), is readily detectable in PBMC and that levels in MS are increased by approximately 60% compared with patients with other neurological diseases or healthy subjects. These results provide additional evidence that a potentially neuroprotective facet of autoimmune inflammation is present in MS.