Ebv and Vitamin D Status in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients With a Unique Cytokine Signature Publisher Pubmed



Nejati A¹ ; Shoja Z² ; Shahmahmoodi S¹ ; Tafakhori A³ ; Mollaeikandelous Y⁴ ; Rezaei F¹ ; Hamid KM⁵ ; Mirshafiey A⁸ ; Doosti R⁶ ; Sahraian MA⁶ ; Mahmoudi M⁷ ; Shokri F⁸ ; Emery V⁹ ; Marashi SM^{1, 5}
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology Published:2016

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis, a debilitating autoimmune and inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, is associated with both infectious and non-infectious factors. We investigated the role of EBV infection, vitamin D level, and cytokine signature in MS patients. Molecular and serological assays were used to investigate immune biomarkers, vitamin D level, and EBV status in 83 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and 62 healthy controls. In total, 98.8 % of MS patients showed a history of EBV exposure compared to 88.6 % in the healthy group (p = 0.005). EBV DNA load was significantly higher in MS patients than healthy subjects (p < 0.0001). Using a panel of biomarkers, we found a distinct transcriptional signature in MS patients compared to the healthy group with mRNA levels of CD73, IL-6, IL-23, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-15, IL-28, and IL-17 significantly elevated in MS patients (p < 0.0001). In contrast, the mRNA levels for TGF-β, IDO, S1PR1, IL-10, and CCL-3 were significantly lower in MS patients compared to healthy controls (p < 0.0001). No significant differences were found with the mRNA levels of IL-13, CCL-5, and FOXP3. Interestingly, in MS patients we found an inverse correlation between vitamin D concentration and EBV load, but not EBNA-1 IgG antibody levels. Our data highlight biomarker correlates in MS patients together with a complex interplay between EBV replication and vitamin D levels. © 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.