PROFILE OF CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID AND SERUM CYTOKINES IN PATIENTS WITH RELAPSING-REMITTING MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS - A CORRELATION WITH CLINICAL ACTIVITY

Levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, granulocyte macrophage-co lony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin (IL)-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of 29 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) of the relapsing-remitting type and of 20 controls with other non inflammatory neurological diseases were studied. Sixteen patients were in the active phase of disease and 13 in remission. In CSF, higher IL-10 and TGF-P concentrations were f ound in patients with a stable phase of MS, while in the active phase there were elevated levels of TNF-a and GM-CSF. These results suggest that a different cytokine pattern could be probably involved in the pa thogenesis of relapsing-remitting MS.