correlation of midkine serum level with pro- and anti-inflamatory cytokines in multiple sclerosis

background: midkine (mk) is a heparin-binding growth factor with promoting effects in inflammatory responses through enhancing leukocytes migration. objective: to study the correlation between mk serum levels and concentration of inflammatory cytokines in multiple sclerosis (ms) patients. methods: we evaluated the mk level and its relationship with inflammatory cytokines (il-17 and il-23) and antiinflammatory ones (il-10 and tgf-β) in multiple sclerosis (ms) patients. the serum concentrations of mk and cytokines were assessed by elisa in 32 ms patients in comparison with 32 healthy subjects. results: our data showed that the mk concentration in ms patients is lower than healthy controls (341.15 ± 40.71 pg/ml vs. 620.15 ± 98.61 pg/ml, respectively, p=0.015). we also observed a significant decrease in il-10, il-23, and tgf-β cytokine levels in ms patients. there was a significant correlation between mk and il-23 concentrations in our study (r = +0.829, p≤0.001). conclusion: these results confirm a role for mk in inflammatory reactions in ms.