Serum endocan levels in multiple sclerosis relapse and remission

Area of Science:

• Neuroimmunology
• Biomarker Discovery
• Inflammatory Diseases

Background:

• Endocan is recognized as a marker for inflammatory conditions, vascular injury, and tumor progression.
• Understanding novel biomarkers for multiple sclerosis (MS) is crucial for disease management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare serum endocan, C-reactive protein (CRP), and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) levels in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients during remission and relapse.
• To evaluate the relationship between these markers and clinical parameters like disease duration, relapse frequency, and disability scores.

Main Methods:

• Serum samples were collected from 53 RRMS remission patients, 30 RRMS relapse/post-relapse patients, and 44 healthy controls.
• Endocan, CRP, and NLR levels were measured and compared across groups.
• Correlations with disease duration, relapse frequency, EDSS, treatment, and MRI lesion burden were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Serum endocan, CRP, and NLR levels were significantly higher in RRMS patients compared to controls (p < 0.05).
• Serum endocan was significantly elevated in the RRMS relapse group versus post-relapse and control groups (p < 0.05).
• No significant correlations were found between endocan, CRP, NLR and disease duration, EDSS, relapse frequency, or MRI lesion burden (p > 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Elevated serum endocan in MS patients indicates endothelial injury secondary to inflammation.
• Endocan shows potential as a moderately reliable indicator of MS relapse.