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Review
. 2023 Apr 15;11(7):282.
doi: 10.21037/atm-21-3073. Epub 2023 Jan 10.

Application of oligoclonal bands and other cerebrospinal fluid variables in multiple sclerosis and other neuroimmunological diseases: a narrative review

Haiqiang Jin  1 , Qianshuo Lu  1 , Feng Gao  1 , Hongjun Hao  1
Affiliations
Review

Application of oligoclonal bands and other cerebrospinal fluid variables in multiple sclerosis and other neuroimmunological diseases: a narrative review

Haiqiang Jin et al. Ann Transl Med. .

Abstract

Background and objective: As an essential but not specific marker of multiple sclerosis, oligoclonal bands are bands displayed by electrophoretic separation technique. Detection method evolves from conventional protein electrophoresis to isoelectric focusing electrophoresis. This article aims to review the role of oligoclonal bands in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and other neuroimmunological diseases.

Methods: The search engine PubMed (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/) was used to research the keywords: "blood brain barrier", "blood brain barrier permeability", "detection methods", "multiple sclerosis" and "oligoclonal bands". A narrative review was conducted to literature findings from 1937 to 2021.

Key content and findings: We first introduced the history of oligoclonal bands and its detection techniques. Next, the interpretation of different results of oligoclonal bands and the clinical implication, especially the value for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis were discussed. Then the different prevalence of oligoclonal bands in multiple sclerosis between eastern and western countries and its occurrence rate in other neuroimmunological diseases were reviewed. Finally, we discussed the detection methods of blood brain barrier permeability and intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis. It reveals that comprehensive analysis of oligoclonal bands, blood-brain barrier permeability and intrathecal synthesis of immunoglobulin provides valuable supporting information for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and other neuroimmunological diseases.

Conclusions: This review discusses the comprehensive application of oligoclonal bands in multiple sclerosis and other neuroimmunological diseases.

Keywords: Blood brain barrier permeability; intrathecal synthesis; multiple sclerosis; oligoclonal bands.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/atm-21-3073/coif). The series “Laboratory Investigations in Neuroimmunological Diseases and Their Clinical Significance” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Five typical OCB patterns with IFE and immunofixation assay. Type 1: negative/normal: absence of OCB in the CSF and serum; Type 2: positive/CSF specific: OCB in the CSF; Type 3: positive/more in CSF: additional OCB in the CSF; Type 4: identically positive: identical OCBs in CSF and serum; Type 5: monoclonal: identical monoclonal pattern. OCB, oligoclonal bands; IFE, isoelectric focusing electrophoresis; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; C, cerebrospinal fluid; S, serum.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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