Soluble Fas (Apo-1) levels in cerebrospinal fluid of multiple sclerosis patients

CSF and serum levels of soluble Fas were studied in MS patients, in patients with various neurological diseases and in healthy controls. We did not detect differences in serum sFas levels between MS patients and controls. In CSF, despite sFas levels being similar in all patients studied, a statistically significant correlation between sFas CSF/sFas serum ratio and BBB damage (expressed as albumin CSF/albumin serum ratio) was detected in non-MS neurological disease, but not in MS patients. The normalized ratio (sFas CSF/sFas serum)/(Alb CSF/Alb serum) was significantly increased in MS patients compared to patients with non-inflammatory neurological disease suggesting an intrathecal synthesis of soluble Fas in MS. The percentage of apoptotic mononuclear cells was higher in CSF as compared to peripheral blood; moreover a lower proportion of apoptotic cells was found in CSF of MS patients. The findings lend support to the involvement of sFas in MS pathogenesis and suggest that a lower apoptosis in CSF may be a feature of the disease.