Identification of cellular factors associated with inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis

BackgroundSerum biomarkers as neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP) enabled early identification of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients at risk of relapse-associated worsening (RAW) or progression independent of relapses (PIRA). However, the immunological mechanis...

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Main Authors: Alexander Rodero-Romero, José Ignacio Fernández-Velasco, Enric Monreal, Raquel Sainz-Amo, Roberto Álvarez-Lafuente, Manuel Comabella, Lluís Ramió-Torrentà, José M. García-Domínguez, Noelia Villarrubia, Susana Sainz de la Maza, María Domínguez-Mozo, Ana Quiroga-Varela, Juan Luís Chico-García, Fernando Rodriguez-Jorge, José Luis Veiga-Gonzalez, Ernesto Roldán-Santiago, Mercedes Espiño, Eulalia Rodríguez-Martín, Gary Álvarez, Jaime Masjuan, Xavier Montalban, Lucienne Costa-Frossard, Luisa María Villar
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Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Immunology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1648725/full
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author Alexander Rodero-Romero
José Ignacio Fernández-Velasco
Enric Monreal
Raquel Sainz-Amo
Roberto Álvarez-Lafuente
Manuel Comabella
Manuel Comabella
Lluís Ramió-Torrentà
Lluís Ramió-Torrentà
Lluís Ramió-Torrentà
José M. García-Domínguez
Noelia Villarrubia
Susana Sainz de la Maza
María Domínguez-Mozo
Ana Quiroga-Varela
Juan Luís Chico-García
Fernando Rodriguez-Jorge
José Luis Veiga-Gonzalez
Ernesto Roldán-Santiago
Mercedes Espiño
Eulalia Rodríguez-Martín
Gary Álvarez
Jaime Masjuan
Xavier Montalban
Xavier Montalban
Lucienne Costa-Frossard
Luisa María Villar
author_facet Alexander Rodero-Romero
José Ignacio Fernández-Velasco
Enric Monreal
Raquel Sainz-Amo
Roberto Álvarez-Lafuente
Manuel Comabella
Manuel Comabella
Lluís Ramió-Torrentà
Lluís Ramió-Torrentà
Lluís Ramió-Torrentà
José M. García-Domínguez
Noelia Villarrubia
Susana Sainz de la Maza
María Domínguez-Mozo
Ana Quiroga-Varela
Juan Luís Chico-García
Fernando Rodriguez-Jorge
José Luis Veiga-Gonzalez
Ernesto Roldán-Santiago
Mercedes Espiño
Eulalia Rodríguez-Martín
Gary Álvarez
Jaime Masjuan
Xavier Montalban
Xavier Montalban
Lucienne Costa-Frossard
Luisa María Villar
author_sort Alexander Rodero-Romero
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundSerum biomarkers as neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP) enabled early identification of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients at risk of relapse-associated worsening (RAW) or progression independent of relapses (PIRA). However, the immunological mechanisms underlying these clinical phenotypes remain unclear.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study including 117 MS patients and 84 healthy controls (HC). Patients were stratified as NLGL (low sNfL and sGFAP), NH (high sNfL at different levels of sGFAP), and NLGH (low sNfL and high sGFAP). Percentages of blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) mononuclear cells, and intracellular production of cytokines by T and B cells after “in vitro” stimulation were analyzed by flow cytometry.ResultsWe identified a common inflammatory profile present in the blood of all MS groups comprising significant increases of effector CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, of memory and antigen-presenting B cells, of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells producing interferon-gamma, interleukin-17 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and of B cells producing TNF-α. Additionally, the highly inflammatory NH group showed lower frequencies of different regulatory subsets (transitional B cells, PDL1+ monocytes and Treg cells) compared to HC and increased percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells producing granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and of effector CD56dim NK cells. They also showed lower percentages of Treg in blood and CSF compared to the low inflammatory NLGL group, which also displayed higher frequencies of regulatory CD56dim, NKG2A+ cells.ConclusionAll MS patients share increased inflammatory B and T cells, but differ in regulatory or NK subsets, which identify highly inflammatory or benign disease courses.
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spelling doaj-art-cbad4fc20695435ab4d8bdfecf0412512025-08-20T03:40:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Immunology1664-32242025-08-011610.3389/fimmu.2025.16487251648725Identification of cellular factors associated with inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosisAlexander Rodero-Romero0José Ignacio Fernández-Velasco1Enric Monreal2Raquel Sainz-Amo3Roberto Álvarez-Lafuente4Manuel Comabella5Manuel Comabella6Lluís Ramió-Torrentà7Lluís Ramió-Torrentà8Lluís Ramió-Torrentà9José M. García-Domínguez10Noelia Villarrubia11Susana Sainz de la Maza12María Domínguez-Mozo13Ana Quiroga-Varela14Juan Luís Chico-García15Fernando Rodriguez-Jorge16José Luis Veiga-Gonzalez17Ernesto Roldán-Santiago18Mercedes Espiño19Eulalia Rodríguez-Martín20Gary Álvarez21Jaime Masjuan22Xavier Montalban23Xavier Montalban24Lucienne Costa-Frossard25Luisa María Villar26Department of Immunology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Immunology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainGrupo Investigación de Factores Ambientales en Enfermedades Degenerativas, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, SpainServei de Neurologia, Centre d’Esclerosi Múltiple de Catalunya, Institut de Recerca Vall d’Hebron, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, SpainCenter for Networked Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED) - ISCIII, Madrid, SpainNeurodegeneration and Neuroinflammation Research Group, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI-CERCA), Salt, SpainRed de Enfermedades inflamatorias (RD24/0007/0005), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, SpainMedical Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat de Girona, Girona, SpainDepartment of Neurology, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Immunology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainGrupo Investigación de Factores Ambientales en Enfermedades Degenerativas, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, SpainNeurodegeneration and Neuroinflammation Research Group, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI-CERCA), Salt, SpainDepartment of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Immunology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Immunology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Immunology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Immunology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainNeurodegeneration and Neuroinflammation Research Group, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI-CERCA), Salt, SpainDepartment of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainServei de Neurologia, Centre d’Esclerosi Múltiple de Catalunya, Institut de Recerca Vall d’Hebron, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, SpainCenter for Networked Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED) - ISCIII, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Immunology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), ISCIII, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainBackgroundSerum biomarkers as neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP) enabled early identification of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients at risk of relapse-associated worsening (RAW) or progression independent of relapses (PIRA). However, the immunological mechanisms underlying these clinical phenotypes remain unclear.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study including 117 MS patients and 84 healthy controls (HC). Patients were stratified as NLGL (low sNfL and sGFAP), NH (high sNfL at different levels of sGFAP), and NLGH (low sNfL and high sGFAP). Percentages of blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) mononuclear cells, and intracellular production of cytokines by T and B cells after “in vitro” stimulation were analyzed by flow cytometry.ResultsWe identified a common inflammatory profile present in the blood of all MS groups comprising significant increases of effector CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, of memory and antigen-presenting B cells, of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells producing interferon-gamma, interleukin-17 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and of B cells producing TNF-α. Additionally, the highly inflammatory NH group showed lower frequencies of different regulatory subsets (transitional B cells, PDL1+ monocytes and Treg cells) compared to HC and increased percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells producing granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and of effector CD56dim NK cells. They also showed lower percentages of Treg in blood and CSF compared to the low inflammatory NLGL group, which also displayed higher frequencies of regulatory CD56dim, NKG2A+ cells.ConclusionAll MS patients share increased inflammatory B and T cells, but differ in regulatory or NK subsets, which identify highly inflammatory or benign disease courses.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1648725/fullmultiple sclerosisserum biomarkerscellular phenotype and functionneurofilament light chainglial fibrillary acidic proteindemyelinating disease of central nervous system
spellingShingle Alexander Rodero-Romero
José Ignacio Fernández-Velasco
Enric Monreal
Raquel Sainz-Amo
Roberto Álvarez-Lafuente
Manuel Comabella
Manuel Comabella
Lluís Ramió-Torrentà
Lluís Ramió-Torrentà
Lluís Ramió-Torrentà
José M. García-Domínguez
Noelia Villarrubia
Susana Sainz de la Maza
María Domínguez-Mozo
Ana Quiroga-Varela
Juan Luís Chico-García
Fernando Rodriguez-Jorge
José Luis Veiga-Gonzalez
Ernesto Roldán-Santiago
Mercedes Espiño
Eulalia Rodríguez-Martín
Gary Álvarez
Jaime Masjuan
Xavier Montalban
Xavier Montalban
Lucienne Costa-Frossard
Luisa María Villar
Identification of cellular factors associated with inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis
Frontiers in Immunology
multiple sclerosis
serum biomarkers
cellular phenotype and function
neurofilament light chain
glial fibrillary acidic protein
demyelinating disease of central nervous system
title Identification of cellular factors associated with inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis
title_full Identification of cellular factors associated with inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis
title_fullStr Identification of cellular factors associated with inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis
title_full_unstemmed Identification of cellular factors associated with inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis
title_short Identification of cellular factors associated with inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis
title_sort identification of cellular factors associated with inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis
topic multiple sclerosis
serum biomarkers
cellular phenotype and function
neurofilament light chain
glial fibrillary acidic protein
demyelinating disease of central nervous system
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1648725/full
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