Interferon-α significantly reduces cerebrospinal fluid CD4 cell subsets in HAM/TSP

• Published in: Journal of neuroimmunology 2003-08, Vol.141 (1), p.170-173
• Main Authors: Feng, Juan, Misu, Tatsuro, Fujihara, Kazuo, Saito, Hiroshi, Takahashi, Toshiaki, Kohnosu, Takeshi, Shiga, Yusei, Takeda, Atsushi, Sato, Shigeru, Takase, Sadao, Itoyama, Yasuto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; CD4-CD8 Ratio; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - drug effects; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - pathology; Cerebrospinal fluid; Down-Regulation - immunology; Female; HTLV-I associated myelopathy; Human T-lymphotropic virus 1; Humans; Injections, Intramuscular; Interferon-alpha - pharmacology; Interferon-alpha - therapeutic use; Interferon-α; Killer Cells, Natural - drug effects; Killer Cells, Natural - pathology; Lymphocyte Count; Lymphocyte Depletion - methods; Lymphocyte subsets; Male; Middle Aged; Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic - blood; Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic - cerebrospinal fluid; Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic - drug therapy; Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic - immunology; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - drug effects; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - pathology; Therapy; Tropical spastic paraparesis
• ISSN: 0165-5728; 1872-8421
• DOI: 10.1016/S0165-5728(03)00219-4

We, for the first time, analyzed T cell and natural killer (NK) cell subsets in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in nine patients with human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) treated with interferon-α (IFN-α). The CD4/CD8 ratio in CSF was significantly lower after the therapy, which is mainly attributable to the significant reduction in CD4+ cells, especially CD25+CD4 and CD45RO+CD4 cell subsets. Meanwhile, NK, natural T and NKT cell subsets in the CSF remained unchanged. There was no CSF lymphocyte subset significantly associated with the clinical efficacy of IFN-α in this small-scale study, and more patients should be analyzed to ascertain the link.