Activated terminal complement in cerebrospinal fluid in Guillain-Barré syndrome and multiple sclerosis.
A quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the concentration of fluid-phase complement C5b-9 complexes (SC5b-9) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 14 patients with acute monophasic Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), 21 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and 11 patients with noninflammatory central nervous system (CNS) diseases. SC5b-9 complexes were detected in the CSF of 13 of 14 patients with acute GBS (mean, 3.08 micrograms/ml; range, 0 to 7.1 micrograms/ml) and 16 of 21 patients with MS (mean, 1.83 micrograms/ml; range, 0 to 7.5 micrograms/ml). In the control group of patients with noninflammatory CNS diseases, SC5b-9 was not detected in eight of 11 and was present in low concentrations in the remaining three patients (mean, 0.28 micrograms/ml; range, 0 to 1.7 micrograms/ml). The finding of SC5b-9 complexes in the CSF of patients with GBS and MS suggests that terminal complement components may participate in the tissue-damaging processes in these diseases.
M E
ME
Sanders
C L
CL
Koski
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D
Robbins
M L
ML
Shin
M M
MM
Frank
K A
KA
Joiner
D003167:Complement Activation; D015938:Complement Membrane Attack Complex; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology
D015938:Complement Membrane Attack Complex; D003165:Complement System Proteins