Pathogenesis – Immunology Poster Presentation

P0998 - The immunological features of peripheral blood findings from multiple sclerosis patients sustaining NEDA-3. (ID 1546)

Speakers
  • M. Minote
Authors
  • M. Minote
  • W. Sato
  • T. Okamoto
  • R. Takahashi
  • T. Yamamura
Presentation Number
P0998
Presentation Topic
Pathogenesis – Immunology

Abstract

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. MS patients are treated with disease modifying drug (DMD) to prevent relapse and disease progression. Recently, the concept of NEDA (no evidence of disease activity) is proposed as the end point of efficacious therapy, but the mechanism related to NEDA is not well known.

Objectives

The objective of this reserch is to identify the immunological features that contribute to the sustaining of NEDA-3 in MS patients.

Methods

Peripheral blood from MS patients sustaining NEDA-3 for more than 2 years (n=32) and EDA patients (n=9) were obtained. In NEDA group, the patients treated with interferon (IFN) β, PSL, Glatiramer acetate (GA), natalizumab (NTZ), without DMT were 10, 8, 5, 4, and 5 cases respectively. We defined EDA as patients having relapse more than twice in a year with same medication in this study. We evaluated the frequency of B, T, NK cells and monocytes subsets by flow cytometry. Moreover, we analyzed the correlation between the clinical features and the frequency of monocyte subsets.

Results

The frequency of non-classical monocytes (NCM;CD14dimCD16+monocyte) in peripheral blood was significantly higher in NEDA group (6.6±4.1%(average±SD), p<0.01) than in EDA group (2.6±1.2%). Comparing by drug in NEDA group, the frequency of NCM was higher in patients with IFNβ (9.7±3.7%) than in patients with PSL, GA, NTZ (p<0.01, <0.01, =0.05, respectively). The intermediate monocytes (IM;CD14++CD16+monocyte) showed similar tendency to NCM, but the difference was not statistically significant. The frequency of NCM correlated positively with those of activated Tregs (foxp3high CD4+T cells, p=0.01) in NEDA group. The frequency of NCM also correlated positively with the duration of sustaining NEDA (p<0.05) in NEDA group.

Conclusions

Non-classical monocytes might play an important role in immune tolerance of MS patients sustaining NEDA-3 with IFNβ.

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