title: Tumor necrosis factor in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis.
abstract: We measured levels of alpha-tumor necrosis factor (alpha-TNF) in cerebrospinal fluid and serum samples from 50 drug-free patients with multiple sclerosis, 25 patients with other neurological diseases, 27 patients with non-neurological diseases, and 10 normal subjects. The most elevated levels of alpha-TNF were found in patients with inflammatory or autoimmune diseases. Comparable serum levels of alpha-TNF were detected in normal control subjects, patients with multiple sclerosis, and patients with degenerative neurological diseases. In patients with multiple sclerosis, alpha-TNF levels were also unrelated to time elapsed between the occurrence of clinical exacerbation and the time of sample collection. Only 3 patients with chronic progressive multiple sclerosis had detectable alpha-TNF in the cerebrospinal fluid. Our data do not support a role for elevated levels of circulating alpha-TNF in the maintenance of the disease. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that a transient elevation of alpha-TNF triggers the cellular events leading to demyelination in multiple sclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Neurological Institute Fondazione Mondino, IRCCS, University of Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Franciotta
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Grimaldi
authors.forename: G V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piccolo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bergamaschi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Citterio
authors.forename: G V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Melzi d'Eril
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha