Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF β1) mRNA level correlates with magnetic resonance imaging disease activity in Multiple Sclerosis patients

Abstract

Eight relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) patients were tested for the level of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF β1) mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells every 15 days for 6 months. Disease activity was evaluated every 4 weeks by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neurological examination. An inverse correlation was found between the level of TGF β1 mRNA and MRI disease activity. The level of TGF β1 mRNA predicted the presence of disease activity in the scans performed 2–4 weeks later with high sensitivity (88%) and specificity (87.5%) suggesting that TGF β1 mRNA quantification could be an indicator of disease activity in MS.