title: Interleukin-2 levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of multiple sclerosis patients.
abstract: A sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method was employed to measure interleukin-2 (IL-2) levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and sera from 30 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 8 patients with other neurological diseases. Detectable levels of IL-2 were found in 6 sera and 9 CSF samples of 21 patients with acute relapse of MS. However, only 3 patients showed measurable IL-2 both in CSF and in serum. IL-2 was not detected in specimens from 9 patients with chronic-progressive MS, whereas high levels were found in 2 CSF samples from patients with aseptic meningitis. Our data suggest that systemic activation of a T-cell population is present in some MS patients; moreover, an active immune mechanism involving IL-2 production takes place within the central nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piccinno
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pagni
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tavolato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2