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. 2016 Jul 7:6:29268.
doi: 10.1038/srep29268.

Serum BAFF levels, Methypredsinolone therapy, Epstein-Barr Virus and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection in Multiple Sclerosis patients

Giuseppe Mameli  1 , Eleonora Cocco  2 , Jessica Frau  2 , Giannina Arru  1 , Elisa Caggiu  1 , Maria Giovanna Marrosu  2 , Leonardo A Sechi  1
Affiliations

Serum BAFF levels, Methypredsinolone therapy, Epstein-Barr Virus and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection in Multiple Sclerosis patients

Giuseppe Mameli et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Elevated B lymphocyte activating factor BAFF levels have been reported in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients; moreover, disease-modifying treatments (DMT) have shown to influence blood BAFF levels in MS patients, although the significance of these changes is still controversial. In addition, BAFF levels were reported increased during infectious diseases. In our study, we wanted to investigate on the serum BAFF concentrations correlated to the antibody response against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and their human homologous epitopes in MS and in patients affected with other neurological diseases (OND), divided in Inflammatory Neurological Diseases (IND), Non Inflammatory Neurological Diseases (NIND) and Undetermined Neurological Diseases (UND), in comparison to healthy controls (HCs). Our results confirmed a statistically significant high BAFF levels in MS and IND patients in comparison to HCs but not NIND and UND patients. Interestingly, BAFF levels were inversely proportional to antibodies level against EBV and MAP peptides and the BAFF levels significantly decreased in MS patients after methylprednisolone therapy. These results implicate that lower circulating BAFF concentrations were present in MS patients with humoral response against MAP and EBV. In conclusion MS patients with no IgGs against EBV and MAP may support the hypothesis that elevated blood BAFF levels could be associated with a more stable disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Levels of serum BAFF among MS, IND, NIND, UND and HCs.
(A) BAFF levels were statistically significant higher in MS and IND compared with the HCs (MS versus HC, p = 0.0002; OND versus HC, p = 0.0002). (B) BAFF levels within subgroups of MS patients, the level of BAFF was lower in Methylprednisolone treated MS patients than untreated MS patients (p = 0.02).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Figure shows BAFF serum levels in MS samples positive or negative to Abs against EBV, MAP and human homologous peptides, respectively: (A) EBV latent EBNA1400–413; (B) MAP_106c121–132 and (C) MBP85–98 and the other homologous peptides group; (D) EBV lytic BOLF1305–320; (E) MAP_402718–32 and (F) IRF5424–434.P values were calculated by T Student test, Graph Pad Prism 6.0 software (San Diego, CA, USA).
Figure 3
Figure 3
BAFF serum levels in MS samples with or without Methylprednisolone (MP) therapy positive or negative to EBV, MAP and human homologous peptides: EBV latent EBNA1400–413; (A) MAP_106c121–132; (B) MBP85–98. (C) EBV lytic BOLF1305–320; (D) MAP_402718–32; (E) IRF5424– 434. (F) P values were calculated by Dunn’s test, Graph Pad Prism 6.0 software (San Diego, CA, USA).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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