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Therapeutic plasma exchange may adjust IL-6 and TGF-β signals in relapsed MS patients peripheral blood
Azam Jamshidian1,2, Bahareh Abd-Nikfarjam3, Zahra Khademi4
1Clinical Biochemistry Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Objective:
Effects of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) on immune cells and their cytokine production in MS, are unknown. Since interleukine-6 and tumor growth factor-β have critical roles in MS immunopathogenesis, the impacts of TPE on the expression of these cytokines and their receptors on the surface of CD4+ T lymphocytes, were investigated.
Methods:
Blood cells were obtained from 30 Relapsing-Remitting (RR) MS patients, before and after a complete TPE course. Cytokines mRNA and their receptor expression on the CD4+ T cells surface were assessed using real-time PCR and flowcytometry, respectively.
Results:
TPE reduced symptom severity (P = .01) and the relief was higher in males than in females (P = .039). TPE also increased TGF-β mRNA and decreased IL-6 receptor expressing cells frequency (P = .009 and P = .028, respectively). Moreover, the frequency of CD4+IL6R+ T cells was positively correlated with disease severity (P = .001).
Conclusion:
TPE impacts simultaneously on the TGF-β mRNA and IL-6 receptor expression, and this may be a mechanism of improvement in MS relapse symptoms induced by the TPE.
