A study of soluble form of selectin family in the sera of patients with neuroimmunological disorders

Members of the selectin family mediate the first step of leukocyte-endothelial cell interaction in inflammatory lesions. Soluble(s) L-selectin, sE-selectin and sP-selectin were examined by monoclonal antibody-based enzyme linked immunosorbent assay on serum samples taken from patients with neuroimmunological disorders, namely, 35 cases of multiple sclerosis (MS), 18 of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), 7 of Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS), 8 of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and 25 of human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 associated myelopathy (HAM). The levels of sL-selectin in active phase of MS (2.20 +/- 0.6 mg/ml: p < 0.05) were increased rather than in inactive phase (0.6 +/- 0.25 mg/ml) and control (1.47 +/- 0.24 mg/ml), the levels of sE-selectin in HAM (37.6 +/- 25.7 ng/ml: p < 0.05) were increased, and the levels of sP-selectin were increased in active phase of MS (179.5 +/- 103.8 ng/ml), GBS (151.2 +/- 81.6 ng/ml), CIDP (198.6 +/- 81.9 ng/ml), and HAM (115.3 +/- 73.5 ng/ml). Moreover, the levels of all soluble selectin family are more increased in active phase of MS (sL-selectin 2.20 +/- 0.6 mg/ml: p < 0.05, sE-selectin 44.2 +/- 32.8 ng/ml: p < 0.05, sP-selectin 179.5 +/- 103.8 ng/ml: p < 0.05) than in inactive phase of MS(sL-selectin 0.6 +/- 0.25 mg/ml, sE-selectin 9.8 +/- 2.6 ng/ml, sP-selectin 63.7 +/- 26.6 ng/ml). In conclusion, we have here first demonstrated that levels of all soluble selectin family were increased in the bloods of patients with MS in active phase. In GBS only the levels of sP-selectin were increased. Thus, these findings suggest that soluble selectin family may reflect the disease activity of multiple sclerosis.