Serum IgG and IgM ganglioside GM1 antibodies in patients with multiple sclerosis.
BACKGROUND
In order to obtain more information concerning the pathogenic significance of ganglioside GM1 in multiple sclerosis serum polyclonal IgG and IgM antibodies to GM1 were evaluated in multiple sclerosis patients with relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive forms of the disease.


METHODS
The evaluated sera were from 55 patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis and from 20 healthy subjects. Forty-two of patients were with relapsing-remitting and 13 with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. Antibodies to GM1 were measured using a modification of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique of Mizutamari et al (1994).


RESULTS
A statistically significant difference of serum IgG antibody titres to GM1 was found between the healthy subjects and the multiple sclerosis patients with relapsing-remitting form of the disease (p = 0.04), as well as of serum IgG antibody titres to GM1 between the patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in relapse and in remission (p = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Bearing in mind the heterogeneity of multiple sclerosis, the pathogenic significance of serum antibodies to GM1 should be interpreted concerning the precise clinical form of the disease and not the whole group of MS patients. The findings in this study argue for the possible involvement of ganglioside GM1 in the pathogenesis of demyelination in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
Zaprianova
Emilia
E
Institute of Experimental Morphology and Anthropology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, G. Bonchev str., bl. 25. Sofia, B-1113 Bulgaria.
Majtényi
Katalin
K
Deleva
Denislava
D
Mikova
Olia
O
Filchev
Andon
A
Sultanov
Borislav
B
Kolyovska
Vera
V
Sultanov
Emil
E
Christova
Lilia
L
Kmetska
Xenia
X
Georgiev
Dimitar
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D020528:Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive / Q000276:immunology; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000276:immunology
D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside