Summary
Sera from 44 patients with Multiple Sclerosis, of three patients with neurological syndromes compatible with Multiple Sclerosis, of 34 patients suffering from other neurological diseases and of 25 pregnant healthy young women were tested for their demyelinating activity in myelinated tissue cultures. In order to leave the investigators unprejudiced, all sera were coded and intermixed with controls of rabbit EAE serum which had a potent demyelinating capacity. Demyelination was graded (from 0–4), heat lability at 56°C (complement dependency?) was also tested with each serum. Only demyelination of a degree of 2 and more, which was abolished by heating to 56°C, was counted as positive.
Six of the 44 sera from MS patients (13.6%), 19 of 37 sera from neurological patients and none of the healthy young women demyelinated. Thus, serum demyelination of tissue cultures seems to be a nonspecific indicator of chronic disease of the nervous system and is of considerable general neurological interest, but does not indicate a demyelinating disease.
Myelination inhibition was not observed with any of the human sera tested for it.
Zusammenfassung
Seren von 44 Patienten mit Multipler Sklerose (MS), 3 Patienten mit neurologischen Syndromen, bei welchen eine Multiple Sklerose nicht mit Sicherheit ausgeschlossen werden kann, von 34 Patienten mit anderen neurologischen Krankheiten und 25 gesunden schwangeren Frauen wurden auf ihre Entmarkungsaktivität in myelinisierten organotypischen Gewebskulturen geprüft. Um eine Voreingenommenheit der Untersucher möglichst zu vermeiden, wurden die Seren verschlüsselt und mit stark entmarkendem Serum eines Kaninchens mit Experimenteller Allergischer Encephalomyelitis — ebenfalls verschlüsselt — mituntersucht. Es wurden 5 Entmarkungsgrade unterschieden (0–4) und die Thermolabilität (Complement-Abhängigkeit?) bei 56°C getestet. Nur Entmarkungsgrade von 2 und mehr, die bei 56°C reduziert wurden, wurden als „positiv“ gewertet.
6 der 44 Seren von MS-Patienten (13,6%), 19 der 37 Seren von anderen neurologischen Patienten und keines von den gesunden jungen Frauen entmarkte. Somit scheint Serum-induzierte Entmarkung in Gewebskulturen ein unspezifischer Indikator chronischer neurologischer Krankheiten zu sein. Der Befund ist von erheblichem allgemeinem neurologischem Interesse, eignet sich aber nicht als Test für Entmarkungskrankheiten.
Myelinationshemmung in Kulturen wurde mit keinem der getesteten Seren beobachtet.
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Ulrich, J., Lardi, H. Multiple sclerosis: Demyelination and myelination inhibition of organotypic tissue cultures of the spinal cord by sera of patients with Multiple Sclerosis and other neurological diseases. J. Neurol. 218, 7–16 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00314713
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00314713