A b s t r a c t

We have studied in vivo effect of interferon-beta 1a (IFN-beta 1a) (6 MIU once weekly i.m.) on interleukin-12 (IL-12) and transforming growth factor-beta(1) (TGF-beta(1)) serum levels during 6 months of therapy in group of 20 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). IL-12 and TGF-beta(1) concentrations were measured by enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA). There was a significant increase of IL-12 levels in MS patients in comparison with control group, suggesting a role of this cytokine in immunity of MS. We have also found a significant increase of TGF-beta(1) levels after 6 months of therapy with IFN-beta 1a, however, there was no in vivo effect of the therapy on IL-12 levels. The results suggest that IFN-beta 1a may exert its action through up- regulation and increase secretion of TGF-beta(1).

Our results suggest the possible role of chemokines in early pregnancy development, especially in well-controlled diabetic patients, when hyperglycaemia is unlikely to be the main reason for an unfavourable outcome. Our results show that MCP-1 and RANTES might serve as predictive factors for an unfavourable outcome in diabetic pregnancy, whereas MMP-9 seems to be a marker of immunological changes related to mild hyperglycaemia. However, the open question of how the modulation of chemokines concentrations might be applied to prevent miscarriage in diabetic patients remains.

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