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Influence of IFN‐β1b (Betaferon) on cytokine mRNA profiles in blood mononuclear cells and plasma levels of soluble VCAM‐1 in multiple sclerosis
Author(s) -
Matusevicius D.,
Kivisäkk P.,
Navikas V.,
Tian W.Z.,
Söderström M.,
Fredrikson S.,
Link H.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
european journal of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.881
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1468-1331
pISSN - 1351-5101
DOI - 10.1046/j.1468-1331.1998.530265.x
Subject(s) - medicine , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , vcam 1 , multiple sclerosis , cytokine , immunology , icam 1 , cell adhesion molecule , biochemistry , chemistry , in vitro
Inflammatory cell infiltration within the central nervous system (CNS) and upregulation of both pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokines are characteristic for multiple sclerosis (MS). Treatment with interferon‐β1b (IFN‐β1b) reduces the number and severity of MS relapses. To examine whether treatment with IFN‐β1b affects levels of cytokine mRNA expressing blood mononuclear cells (MNC) we employed in‐sit hybridization with synthetic oligonucleotide probes to detect and enumerate IFN‐γ, TNF‐α, IL‐10, TGF‐β and perforin mRNA expressing cells in MS patients before treatment with IFN‐β1b and during tretmetn for 3–6 weeks and for 3–6 monts. Numbers of blood MNC spontaneously expressing TNF‐α and IL‐10 mRNA were lower after 3–6 months of treatment, while numbers of IFN‐γ, TGF‐β and perforin mRNA expressing MNC were not affected by treatment. IFN‐β1b had no influence on levels of MBP‐reactive IFN‐γ, TNF‐α, TGF‐β, IL‐10 or perforin mRNA expressing blood MNC determined after 3–6 weeks 3–6 months of treatment. Parallel measurements of plasma concentrations of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (sVCAM‐1) revealed elevated levels after 3–6 weeks of treatment and these levels remained higher after 3–6 months of treatment. The results suggest that IFN‐β1b treatment upregulates plasma levels of sVCAM‐1, but has little effects on numbers of blood MNC expressing mRNA of the pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokines under study.