P. Bongioanni et al., T-Cell interferon gamma receptor binding in interferon beta-1b-treated patients with multiple sclerosis, ARCH NEUROL, 56(2), 1999, pp. 217-222
Objective: To investigate the effects of interferon beta treatment on T-cel
l interferon gamma binding (which is a possible marker for T-cell-dependent
immune function) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Design: Assay interferon gamma binding on T lymphocytes from patients with
stable relapsing-remitting MS before, 3 months after, and 6 months after in
itiating interferon beta-lb treatment.
Setting: The study was performed on ambulatory patients in a tertiary care
center, where patients were diagnosed as having definite MS.
Patients: Eighteen patients with clinically definite, stable, relapsing-rem
itting MS (13 women and 5 men; mean age [+/- SD] 32.6 +/- 7.1 years) were s
elected consecutively. Clinical status was defined according to the Kurtzke
Expanded Disability Status Scale. All patients were treated with 8 x 10(6)
IU interferon beta-lb subcutaneously every other day. Eighteen age- and se
x-matched healthy subjects with no family history of neuropsychiatric disor
ders formed the control group.
Results: T lymphocytes from untreated patients with MS had significantly sm
aller amounts of interferon gamma receptors than those from control subject
s (638 +/- 7 [ SE] vs 707 +/- 11 [SE] receptors per cell). After 3 months o
f interferon beta-lb treatment, they showed a significant increase in inter
feron gamma binding (681 +/- 9 [SE] receptors per cell). After 6 months, T-
cell interferon gamma maximal receptor values were even higher (700 +/- 7 [
SE] receptors per cell), only slightly lower than those of control subjects
.
Conclusion: Given that reduced interferon gamma binding might be related to
lymphocyte activation, our data seem to demonstrate that the major effect
of interferon beta-1b treatment is a decrease in T-cell activation.