title: Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor activity in cerebrospinal fluid.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to analyse the presence of the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in human cerebrospinal fluid (SF) of patients affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) in comparison with non-inflammatory neurological diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  All SFs were collected from 59 patients for diagnostic purpose. The presence of GM-CSF was revealed by measuring its activity and by immunoassay. The data obtained were statistically evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that GM-CSF is constitutively present in human SF; this presence was confirmed by its stimulating activity of colony-forming-unit granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) production. No significant changes of the GM-CSF concentration in the SFs were observed among different neurological disorders (degenerative or vascular) and MS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that GM-CSF is a constitutive component of human SF, relatively uninfluenced by the different morbid conditions of the nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leonardi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Penco
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gramigni
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bason
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ribizzi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gazzola
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Mancardi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bianchi-Scarrà
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abbruzzese
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garrè
mesh_terms: D015153:Blotting, Western; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor