High-Dose Methylprednisolone Treatment-Induced Changes in Immunological Parameters in Progressive Ms Patients

Abstract
The effect of High-Dose Methylprednisolone (HD-MP) treatment on Peripheral Blood (PB) and Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) immune parameters was investigated in 9 patients with relapsing-progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Short-time effects included reduction of the percentage of CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+CD45RA+ PB lymphocytes and increase in CD3CD56+ cells. At the end of the treatment, only increase in PB CD19+ and in CSF CD8+ CD8+CD28+ and decrease of CSF CD4+CD45RA and serum IL2R levels were observed. No changes in CD11a+CD4+, CD18+CD4+ and CD18+CD14+ PB cells were observed after treatment. The results further stress the complex and multifaceted action of HD-MP on immune parameters.