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Updated: Apr 19, 2026
Quantitative Measurement of Intrathecally Synthesized Proteins in Mice
Published on: November 29, 2019
Hexosylceramides as intrathecal markers of worsening disability in multiple sclerosis
Antonio Checa1, Mohsen Khademi2, Daniel G Sar1
1Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Division of Physiological Chemistry II, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Background:
Sphingolipids are important components of neurons and the myelin sheath whose levels are altered in multiple sclerosis (MS).
Objectives:
We aimed to determine if cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sphingolipids can be used as markers of MS disease progression.
Methods:
Using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, we analysed sphingolipids in CSF from 134 individuals. The MS group included 65 patients divided into 41 relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and 24 progressive MS (ProgMS). In addition, a group of 13 early MS/clinically isolated syndrome (EarlyMS) and two control groups consisting of 38 individuals with other neurological diseases (OND) and 18 OND with signs of inflammation (iOND) were analysed. A follow-up study included 17 additional RRMS patients sampled at two time points 4.7±1.7 years apart.
Results:
Levels of sphingomyelin (SM)- and hexosylceramide (HexCer)-derived sphingolipids increased in the CSF of patients with MS independently of the fatty acid chain length in RRMS (p<0.05). Levels of palmitic acid (16:0)-containing HexCer (HexCer16:0) increased significantly in ProgMS compared with the OND (p<0.001), iOND (p<0.05) and EarlyMS (p<0.01) groups and correlated with Expanded Disability Status Scale in RRMS in both studies (p=0.048; p=0.027).
Conclusion:
HexCer16:0 is a promising candidate marker of disease progression in MS, especially in RRMS.
