Folia Morphol (Warsz) 2001 Aug;60(3):225-8
Effect of cladribine treatment on beta-2 microglobulin and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Niezgoda A, Losy J, Mehta PD.
Department of Clinical Neuroimmunology, University School of Medicine, ul. Przybyszewskiego 49, 60-355 Poznan, Poland.
beta-2 Microglobulin (beta 2M) is a low molecular weight protein located extracellularly and associated with class 1 antigens of the major histocompatibility complex and is considered a marker for disease activity in immune disorders.
Cladribine (2-chloro-2-deoxyadenosine, 2-CDA) is a potent lymphocytotoxic agent under investigation in the treatment in MS patients.
As beta 2M levels may indicate inflammatory events in CNS we determined CSF-beta 2M and serum beta 2M levels in patients with relapsing-remitting MS before and after cladribine treatment as well as in a control group.
There was a significant beta 2M decrease in sera but not in CSF in MS patients after the cladribine treatment, associated with a slight but significant clinical improvement measured by Kurtzke's Expanded Disability Status Scale.
We also found a significant decrease in sICAM-1 level in CSF but not in sera in MS patients.
The data support a role of cladribine in MS therapy and deliver new information on cladribine immunological effects in MS patients.
PMID: 11552664