Plasma levels of CTRP-3, CTRP-9 and apelin in women with multiple sclerosis

Background: Recently, adipocytokines have been shown to play a pivotal role in autoimmune and inflammatory related disease. The purpose of this study was to compare the levels of CTRP3, CTRP9, adiponectin and apelin- in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients with healthy subjects and their relationship with clinical parameters and the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators. Methods: Plasma levels of CTRP3, CTRP9, apelin, TNF-alpha, hs-CRP, and adiponectin were evaluated in 24 healthy women and 26 women with relapsing remitting MS using immunoassay methods. Results: The plasma apelin level of the MS patients was significantly lower than that of healthy controls. The concentration of TNF-alpha and adiponectin were significantly higher in MS patients compared to the healthy controls. Plasma CTRP3, CTRP9 and hs-CRP levels were not significantly different between the two groups. There was no correlation between these adipokines and inflammatory mediators. A statistically significant negative correlation was observed between plasma concentrations of apelin with expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scores and number of relapse. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that adipokines, particularly apelin and adiponectin, may contribute to the pathogenesis of MS and can be considered as a biomarker or as a therapeutic target for the treatment of this disease.