Cerebrospinal fluid and urinary biomarkers in multiple sclerosis

Area of Science:

• Neuroimmunology
• Biomarker Discovery
• Clinical Chemistry

Background:

• Longitudinal biomarkers for multiple sclerosis (MS) are crucial for disease monitoring.
• Urine offers a non-invasive alternative for repeated biomarker sampling compared to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate potential CSF and urinary biomarkers for MS, including free light chains (FLC), neopterin, and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCHL1).
• To assess the correlation between these biomarkers and established MS indicators like oligoclonal bands (OCBs).

Main Methods:

• Collected paired CSF and urine samples from 39 individuals.
• Measured OCBs in CSF, and FLC, neopterin, and UCHL1 in both CSF and urine.

Main Results:

• CSF FLC levels were significantly higher in OCB-positive MS patients, but urinary FLC did not correlate with CSF levels.
• Significant correlations were found between CSF FLC and CSF neopterin in MS patients.
• A correlation existed between urinary neopterin and urinary FLC levels, suggesting potential inflammatory processes reflected in urine.

Conclusions:

• Confirms the link between CSF OCBs and CSF FLCs, indicating intrathecal B-cell activation in MS.
• Highlights the association between CSF FLC and CSF neopterin, reflecting multifaceted immune activation in MS.
• Further research is needed to validate CSF and urinary biomarkers for longitudinal MS monitoring.