Studies of lipid peroxidation products in cerebrospinal fluid and serum in multiple sclerosis and other conditions.

Lipid peroxides were measured in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and sera from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions and from control subjects. In serum, visible fluorescence, A240nm, and free and protein-bound thiobarbituric acid (TBA)-reactive substances were significantly greater in MS patients than in control subjects. No such differences were observed in CSF. There was no correlation between lipid peroxides and disease severity or relapse time. We observed a significant positive correlation between CSF protein-bound TBA-reactive substances and CSF protein, suggesting that production of the former depends on protein concentration. A significant negative correlation between free TBA-reactive substances in serum and ultraviolet fluorescence indicated that production of free TBA-reactive substances may be associated with decreased production of fluorescent lipid peroxides. This study provides evidence for increased lipid peroxidation in serum but not CSF from MS patients, suggesting that either there is no increase in CSF lipid peroxidation in MS patients or that CSF lipid peroxides are rapidly removed, possibly by binding to CSF proteins that can be reabsorbed into the blood.