Biological activity of glatiramer acetate on Treg and anti-inflammatory monocytes persists for more than 10 years in responder multiple sclerosis patients

• Published in: Clinical immunology (Orlando, Fla.) Vol. 181; pp. 83 - 88
• Main Authors: Spadaro, Michela, Montarolo, Francesca, Perga, Simona, Martire, Serena, Brescia, Federica, Malucchi, Simona, Bertolotto, Antonio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-08-2017
• Subjects: Allergy and Immunology; TNF; foetal bovine serum; expanded disability status scale; natural killer; FBS; fluorescein isothiocyanate; M2 monocytes; EDSS; IL; MS; allophycocyanin; PBMC; central nervous system; regulatory T cells; TGF; relapsing remitting; transforming grow factor; NK; Ig; RR; magnetic resonance imaging; MRI; no evidence of disease activity; CNS; glatiramer acetate; NEDA; FITC; disease modifying treatment; GA; interleukin; peripheral blood mononuclear cells; Dendritic cells; immunoglobulin; healthy donors; PMA; multiple sclerosis; CReSM; Treg; Centro di Riferimento Regionale Sclerosi Multipla; DMT; mAb; phycoerythrin; tumor necrosis factor; APC; PE; phorbol12-myristate 13 acetate; HD; monoclonal antibody; DC
• ISSN: 1521-6616
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2017.06.006

Abstract Glatiramer acetate (GA) is a widely used treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), with incompletely defined mechanism of action. Short-term studies suggested its involvement in the modulation of anti-inflammatory cytokines and regulatory T cells (Treg), while long-term effect is still unknown. To investigate this aspect, we analyzed by flow-cytometry peripheral-blood Treg, natural killer (NK), CD4 and CD8 T-cells and anti-inflammatory CD14+ CD163+ monocytes from 37 healthy donor and 90 RRMS patients divided in untreated, treated with GA for 12 months and from 34 to 192 months. While NK, CD4 and CD8 T-cells did not show any significant differences among groups over time, we demonstrated that GA increased the anti-inflammatory monocytes and restored the Treg level in both GA-treated groups. Both these effects are a characteristic of responder patients and are observed not just in short-term but even after as long as a decade of GA treatment.