THE EXPRESSION OF INTEGRINS ON ACTIVATED T-CELLS IN MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS - EFFECT OF INTRAVENOUS METHYLPREDNISOLONE TREATMENT

We studied the effect of intravenous methylprednisolone (MP) on the ex pression of the integrins, LFA-I and VLA-4, on activated blood T-lymph ocytes in 17 patients with relapses of clinically definite relapsing-r emitting MS. MP treatment did not induce changes in the expression of CD3, CD4, DR, LFA-I or VLA-4 markers when measured in the total popula tion of lymphocytes in MS patients in relation to treatment Treatment influenced neither the LFA-I nor VLA-4 positive cells within the CD3population. MP treatment clearly decreased the DR+ CD3+ cells (P<0.01) and the percentage of DR+ CD3+ lymphocytes bearing VLA-4 (P<0.01). Ho wever, this was not the case when we studied the percentage of lymphoc ytes which expressed LFA-I. Glucocorticoids did not influence the mean intensity of the expression of the two integrins quantified in either total or DR+ CD3+ lymphocytes. Although, further research seems warra nted to investigate a possible effect of MP on lymphocyte integrin fun ction, this work corroborates the idea that MP treatment may interfere with the mechanisms of T-cell migration into CNS, thus modulating the activity of multiple sclerosis.