Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
J Clin Immunol. 2012 Oct;32(5):1007-11. doi: 10.1007/s10875-012-9709-9. Epub 2012 May 30.
BAFF (B-cell activating factor of the tumor necrosis factor family) and APRIL (a proliferation-inducing ligand) are two of the major survival factors for B cells. Many studies have shown that BAFF levels were elevated in MS patients. However, whether the levels of CSF BAFF/APRIL increased in NMO patients was still unclear.
To measure the CSF BAFF and APRIL concentration of in NMO patients, and explore their relationship with disease activity in NMO.
CSF BAFF and APRIL was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in NMO (n = 22), MS (n = 18) patients and controls (n = 14).
Concentration of BAFF and APRIL in NMO patients were significantly higher than MS and controls. CSF BAFF and APRIL levels in controls were also lower than MS. Both NMO and MS revealed an increased disease disability with increased CSF BAFF. CSF APRIL was associated with EDSS scores in NMO, but not found in MS.
BAFF/APRIL system considered important for aggressive B cells and T-cell responses, and may stimulates B cells and T cell activation in acute relapse of NMO and MS. In NMO patients, CSF BAFF and APRIL may be key factors of B cell immune response and reflect disease severity.
BAFF（肿瘤坏死因子家族中的 B 细胞激活因子）和 APRIL（增殖诱导配体）是 B 细胞的两个主要存活因子。许多研究表明，MS 患者的 BAFF 水平升高。然而，NMO 患者 CSF 中的 BAFF/APRIL 水平是否增加仍不清楚。
测量 NMO 患者 CSF 中的 BAFF 和 APRIL 浓度，并探讨其与 NMO 疾病活动度的关系。
采用酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）检测 NMO（n=22）、MS（n=18）患者和对照组（n=14）的 CSF BAFF 和 APRIL 浓度。
NMO 患者的 BAFF 和 APRIL 浓度明显高于 MS 和对照组。对照组的 CSF BAFF 和 APRIL 水平也低于 MS。无论是 NMO 还是 MS，随着 CSF BAFF 的增加，疾病残疾程度都有所增加。CSF APRIL 与 NMO 的 EDSS 评分相关，但在 MS 中未发现。
BAFF/APRIL 系统被认为对侵袭性 B 细胞和 T 细胞反应很重要，可能在 NMO 和 MS 的急性复发中刺激 B 细胞和 T 细胞的激活。在 NMO 患者中，CSF BAFF 和 APRIL 可能是 B 细胞免疫反应的关键因素，并反映疾病的严重程度。
