Multiple sclerosis-lymphocyte transformation with multiple sclerosis and normal brain myelin basic protein and subcellular fractions.

Abstract

Possible sensitisation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients was studied in the presence of both normal and MS brain subcellular fractions. Myelin, synaptosomal and microsomal fractions and myelin basic protein were prepared by sucrose density gradient centrifugation from normal and MS brain. These preparations were added to mononuclear cell microcultures from the peripheral blood of nine acute and six chronic MS patients, 10 patients with other neurological diseases and 10 normal subjects. There was no significant increment in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell transformation of any of the acute MS patients with any of the fractions. Therefore there is no evidence that immunity to antigens in any of the fractions of MS or normal brain is of primary pathogenetic importance. A small increment in peripheral blood mononuclear cell transformation in the presence of several fractions was observed in two of six chronic MS patients, which might indicate the development of a secondary immune response after prolonged disease.