Soluble HLA class I and class II antigens in patients with multiple sclerosis

Soluble HLA class I (sHLA-I) and soluble HLA class II (sHLA-II) antigen levels during different stages of disease were investigated in paired serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 37 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using ELISA and Western blot analysis. Soluble HLA-II antigens in the serum of untreated patients with the relapsing-remitting type of MS (RRMS) were found to be significantly elevated in acute relapse as compared to values obtained from patients under steroid treatment, in remission or healthy controls. No significant differences in circulating sHLA-I levels could be detected. In contrast, a trend towards increased intrathecal production of sHLA-I molecules in the CSF was observed in untreated RRMS patients in acute relapse, whereas the levels of soluble HLA-II antigens in the CSF were below the detection limit of the ELISA method. Our observations underline the presence of systemic immune activation in MS patients, as reflected in elevated serum sHLA-II antigen levels, and reveal a dichotomy between sHLA class I and II antigen production in the peripheral blood versus CSF in acute MS. Serial measurements of sHLA-II antigen levels might represent a non-invasive method to assess disease activity in MS patients.