RANTES levels are elevated in serum and cerebrospinal fluid in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Immunological disturbances have been implicated in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Chemokines are involved in the recruitment of immune cells. Regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) is a C-C beta-chemokine with strong chemo-attractant activity for T-lymphocytes and monocytes. We examined serum levels of RANTES in 20 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), 14 patients with non-inflammatory neurological disorders (NIND) and 13 control subjects (CTRL) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of RANTES in ALS and NIND group patients in order to investigate whether RANTES as index of immune activation is present in ALS patients. Patients with ALS had higher RANTES levels compared with the NIND patients and CTRL subjects (p = 0.005 and p = 0.02, respectively). CSF RANTES levels were also higher compared with the NIND patients (p = 0.007). No correlation of serum and CSF RANTES levels with disease duration was found. These results may suggest an activated microglia induced recruitment of peripheral inflammatory cells to sites of inflammation in ALS patients.