Activated terminal complement in cerebrospinal fluid in Guillain-Barré syndrome and multiple sclerosis
Sanders, M.E.; Koski, C.L.; Robbins, D.; Shin, M.L.; Frank, M.M.; Joiner, K.A.
Journal of Immunology 136(12): 4456-4459
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-1767 PMID: 3711661 Document Number: 274658
A quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the concentration of fluid-phase complement C5b-9 complexes (SC5b-9) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 14 patients with acute monophasic Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), 21 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and 11 patients with noninflammatory central nervous system (CNS) diseases. SC5b-9 complexes were detected in the CSF of 13 of 14 patients with acute GBS (mean, 3.08 .mu.g/ml; range, 0 to 7.1 .mu.g/ml) and 16 of 21 patients with MS (mean, 1.83 .mu.g/ml; range, 0 to 7.5 .mu.g/ml). In the control group of patients with noninflammatory CNS diseases, SC5b-9 was not detected in eight of 11 and was present in low concentrations in the remaining three patients (mean, 0.28 .mu.g/ml; range, 0 to 1.7 .mu.g/ml). The finding of SC5b-9 complexes in the CSF of patients with GBS and MS suggests that terminal complement components may participate in the tissue-damaging processes in these diseases.