title: Serum levels of soluble E-selectin (ELAM-1) in immune-mediated neuropathies.
abstract: Adhesion molecules are critically involved in inflammatory responses. We studied serum concentrations of the soluble form of E-selectin (endothelial-leukocyte adhesion molecule-1, ELAM-1) in 187 patients with neuropathies of diverse etiology, 54 patients with other noninflammatory, nondemyelinating neurologic disorders, and 15 healthy controls. Serum E-selectin levels, quantitated by a two-site enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, were significantly increased in 126 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) (mean +/- SD, 45.1 +/- 16.3 ng/ml) and 13 patients with vasculitic neuropathies (47.1 +/- 19.1ng/ml) compared with patients with other neurologic diseases (19.8 +/- 7.4 ng/ml) and healthy controls (21.9 +/- 8.1 ng/ml). In GBS, E-selectin levels were temporally related to disease activity. Cytokine-mediated upregulation of E-selectin may be important in homing and attachment of leukocytes to endoneurial endothelial cells. Raised E-selectin concentrations probably reflect endothelial cell activation occurring early in the sequence of immunopathologic events culminating in peripheral nerve damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität, Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Hartung
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reiners
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Michels
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Heidenreich
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zielasek
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Enders
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Toyka
mesh_terms: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000097:blood*; D019040:E-Selectin; D006801:Humans; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D019040:E-Selectin