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Effects of combination therapy of beta-interferon 1a and prednisone on serum immunologic markers in patients with multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Baylor-Methodist Multiple Sclerosis Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA, Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansura University, Mansura, Egypt

Oldrich J Kolar

Indiana Center for Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunopathologic Disorders, Indianapolis, IN 48260, USA

Ying CQ Zang

Multiple Sclerosis Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Baylor-Methodist Multiple Sclerosis Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA, Department of Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA

Jingwu Zhang

Multiple Sclerosis Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Baylor-Methodist Multiple Sclerosis Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA, Department of Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA

Beta-interferon (beta-IFN) has a proven treatment effect on relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), presumably through its regulatory properties on T-cell activation and cytokine production. This paper examines whether combination therapy of beta-IFN with prednisone would enhance immunoregulatory effects of beta-IFN by measuring serum levels of selected proinflammatory cytokines and soluble T-cell activation markers associated with MS. The selected markers were analyzed in MS patients treated with beta-IFN alone (n-22) and beta-IFN combined with a low daily dose of prednisone (n-33), as compared with those in 27 healthy controls at baseline and at a three-month interval for one year. The study confirmed that beta-IFN treatment inhibited serum levels of tumor necro sis factor-alpha (TNFa) and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (IC A M-1) in patients with MS. However, combination therapy did not significantly enhance the inhibitory effect of beta-IFN treatment on the production of TNFa, interleukin (IL)-12, IL-2R, and IC A M-1, while the addition of prednisone antagonized the effect of beta-IFN on up-regulation of IL-10 and soluble C D95. No difference in the occurrence of binding antibodies to beta-IFN was found between the two treatment groups. The findings are important for the understanding of the role of combination therapy in the treatment of MS.

Key Words: beta-interferon • cytokines • multiple sclerosis • T cells

Multiple Sclerosis, Vol. 9, No. 1, 28-31 (2003)
DOI: 10.1191/1352458503ms865oa


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