Similar pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production in the different clinical forms of multiple sclerosis.

Cytokines ploy on important role in the initiation and maintenance of the inflammatory reaction in multiple sclerosis, a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Magnetic resonance imaging evidence supports clinical divergence between forms of multiple sclerosis with relapses and the primary progressive form without relapses which shows fewer and smeller inflammatory lesions. With the aim of understanding better the relative role of pro-inflammatory ond/or anti-inflammatory cytokines in primary progressive multiple sclerosis in comparison to relapsing forms we analysed in 65 patients (24 primary progressive, 20 relapsing-remitting and 21 secondary progressive) and 29 healthy controls, the Production of cytokines (IFN-gamma TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10 and IL- 12) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells after in vitro stimulation. We found a similar percentage of cytokines producing cells between healthy controls and the different clinical forms of multiple sclerosis patients.