Abstract
Purpose Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuro-inflammatory and neuro-degenerative disease that causes demyelization in neurons. Until today, little is known about the causes of MS. One possible cause is exposure to metals, in which the toxicity can trigger the inflammatory process. In general, population is exposed to metal under nanoparticle (NPs) form, since it is presenting in air, cosmetic and food. Due to their small size, metallic NPs have the potential to penetrate the human body by inhalation, injection or epithelial penetration. They could eventually cross the blood brain barrier and potentially cause neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration of the central nervous system. The aim of the present study was to quantify sclerotic lesions in MRI and to evaluate the presence of metallic nanoparticles in patients’ blood with multiple sclerosis. Methods The areas of demyelination were observed through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The brain involvement caused by multiple sclerosis was quantified through a computational algorithm developed in MatLab. The presence of metallic nanoparticles in the blood was analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared micro spectroscopy. Results The infrared spectrum of patients with multiple sclerosis were compared with healthy individuals. The computational algorithm segmented both healthy and compromised brain areas. The quantification obtained by segmentation was presented as a percentage of impairment. Conclusions With analysis of metallic nanoparticles in the blood, and the quantification of brain lesions, it was possible to observe that the demyelination process was possibly induced by metallic nanoparticles in brain sclerotic lesions. Future studies guided by our method could indicate the degree of toxicity with metallic nanoparticles in neurodegenerative diseases.
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