Cytokine profiles in pediatric multiple sclerosis

Background: The immunopathogenesis of pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) is not well understood. Methods: We studied the cytokine profile in pre-treatment serum specimens of 19 pediatric MS patients, 25 adult MS patients, and 22 ageand gender-matched pediatric healthy controls. In addition to IL-2, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, IL-18, IL-23, IL-6, TNF-α, TGF-β-1, IFN-γ, IL-17A, IL-21, IL-10, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and GM-CSF, we measured osteopontin and soluble VCAM-I. Results: In children with MS, significantly lower levels of IL-6 were present compared to ageand gender-matched healthy control children (p < 0.05). Moreover, significantly higher levels of osteopontin (p < 0.02) and sVCAM-1 (p < 0.02) and lower levels of IL-6 (p < 0.01) were present, with trends toward lower levels of IL-12p70 (p = 0.074) and IL-17a (p = 0.05) compared to adults with MS. Conclusions: These findings indicate important differences in cytokine signatures in children with MS and suggest an unexpected possible lower inflammatory cytokine profile in children with MS.