Polystyrene latex particles as indicators of abnormal plasma properties in multiple sclerosis

Polystyrene latex particles were incubated in plasma from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients or normal subjects. Compared with plasma from healthy controls, MS plasma produced a significantly lower mean electrophoretic mobility of the latex particles after the addition of linoleic acid. The effect was similar to that found when erythrocytes were used as the indicator particle. However, the result with latex particles demonstrates that the phenomenon originates from a plasma component of MS patients rather than from an intrinsic difference in membranes of the red blood cell.