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The Relationship Between Immune Semaphorins and Myasthenia Gravis
Dilcan Kotan1, Esen Çiçekli2, Özlem Aydemir3
1Neurology Department, Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya, Turkey.
Objective:
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease involving several immune mechanisms. Recently, semaphorins have emerged as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in autoimmune neurological and non-neurological diseases. This study investigated the role of immune semaphorins, namely semaphorins 3A, 3F, 4A, 4D, and 7A, in the diagnosis and prognosis of MG and their potential as biomarkers.
Methods:
Serum levels of semaphorin 3A, 3F, 4A, 4D, and 7A were compared between 41 patients with MG and 39 healthy controls. Patients were grouped according to the Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living scale, and differences in semaphorin levels between groups were analyzed.
Result:
Semaphorin 4A levels were significantly lower, whereas semaphorin 7A levels were higher in patients with MG than in controls. However, no significant correlation was found between the disease stage and semaphorin levels.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that the levels of semaphorin 4A and 7A may not only support the diagnosis of MG and aid in differential diagnosis but also shed light on the development of future therapeutic protocols targeting semaphorin proteins and receptors in other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
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