title: Immunological markers in multiple sclerosis.
abstract: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by the presence in the central nervous system (CNS) of perivascular inflammatory infiltrates containing, among others, autoreactive T cells and activated macrophages. These observations indicate that MS is a T cell-mediated CNS-confined chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease in which the ultimate effector cell is the activated macrophage. The inflammatory process, leading to patchy demyelination and axonal loss, is mainly sustained by pro-inflammatory cytokines that, along with chemokines, adhesion molecules and metalloproteases, modulate at different levels the pathogenic process underlying MS. Due to their central role in MS pathogenesis, "inflammatory" molecules might represent suitable peripheral markers of disease (disease-trait) and/or disease activity (state-trait). However, reliable disease-trait or state-trait immunological markers for MS have not yet been identified. The intrinsic characteristics of these molecules (i.e. autocrine/paracrine activity, short half-life, redundancy) may in part explain their inconsistency as disease markers. Additionally, the unreliability of methodologies and the lack of careful patient stratification can also, at least in part, account for the unsatisfactory results so far obtained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, DIBIT, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gironi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergami
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brambilla
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ruffini
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Furlan
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Comi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martino
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D018925:Chemokines / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D018925:Chemokines; D016207:Cytokines; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases