DETECTION OF A GLIOTOXIC ACTIVITY IN THE CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID FROM MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS PATIENTS

We recently showed that peripheral blood cell supernatants from multip le sclerosis (MS) patients, containing reverse transcriptase activity and retroviral RNA from the newly human identified multiple sclerosis retrovirus (MSRV), also secrete a cytotoxin which induces death of pri mary mouse cortical glial cells. We have hypothesized that macrophages could release this cytotoxin in the cerebrospinal fluid. The cerebros pinal fluid cytotoxicity from 166 patients with various neurological d iseases (including MS patients) was tested on glial cells in vitro. Ou r bioassay shows that a glial cytotoxic activity is significantly pres ent in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with relapsing-remitting MS a t relapse. Since this cytotoxic activity seems to correlate with activ e cases of MS, it may represent a critical pathogenic factor in the ne uropathology of MS. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.