Endothelin and nitric oxide levels in cerebrospinal fluid of patients withmultiple sclerosis

In order to investigate the potential role of endothelins (ETs) and nitric oxide (NO) in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) we evaluated the levels of these vasoactive mediators in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of relaps ing remitting MS patients and in a group of subjects with other neurologica l diseases (OND) and in a control group of subjects without neurological di sease. Eighty patients affected from clinically diagnosed MS were selected, 44 of them were studied during an acute clinical attack and 36 in a stable phase. The OND group included 21 subjects affected by degenerative non inf lammatory (n=9) and inflammatory (n=12) neurological disease while the cont rol group included 22 subjects with cancer of the prostate (n=11) and with bladder disease (n=11). ET levels were significantly increased in CSF of re lapsing remitting MS patients with an acute clinical attack in comparison w ith those in a stable phase, the OND group and the control group. Moreover significant differences were observed among the four groups with regard to the NO levels: MS patients in a stable and acute phase like OND group have high levels of NO compared to the control group. Since the blood-brain barr ier index values did not differ significantly between the three groups, the data of this study suggest an important role for NO and ET in cerebral mic rocirculation in MS patients.