MDC/CCL22 intrathecal levels in patients with multiple sclerosis.

MDC/CCL22 has been detected in the brain of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. MDC/CCL22 cerebrospinal fluid levels were evaluated in 56 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and in 17 controls. No significant differences were found, even when stratifying patients according to the disease subtype. Stratifying by gender, significantly increased MDC/CCL22 levels were observed in female patients when compared with female controls and male patients (109.03 versus 98.54 and 99.37 pg/mL, P = 0.034 and 0.018, respectively). Therefore, MDC/CCL22 is likely to play a role in the development of MS in females only, possibly influencing the intracerebral recruitment of Th2 cells, which produce anti-inflammatory cytokines.