The Effect of IFN-β Treatment on Plasma Levels of BDNF and IL-6 in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Background: In recent investigations addressing neurodegenerative diseases, especially multiple sclerosis (MS), the roles of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) have been examined. Methods: Forty-five relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients, including 32 IFN-beta-treated and 13 newly identified untreated cases as well as 45 sex- and age-matched healthy controls, were recruited in the study. Plasma levels of BDNF and IL-6 were assessed using the ELISA method. Data were analyzed by SPSS (ver.21). Results: There were significant differences between the case and healthy control groups in terms of the plasma levels of BDNF (p value = 0.044) and IL-6 (p value <0.001). Besides, the treatment with IFN-beta had no significant impact on the level of BDNF or IL-6 in RRMS patients as compared to healthy controls (p value = 0.716 and 0.623 for BDNF and IL-6, respectively). Furthermore, the increase in the plasma levels of BDNF and IL-6 indicated a direct correlation in the case group (r = 0.508, p value = 0.008). In detail, following the classification of the case group into 2 subgroups of IFN-beta-treated and untreated patients, a direct positive correlation was observed between the plasma levels of BDNF and IL-6 in IFN-beta-treated patients (r = 0.495, p value = 0.026). Conclusion: The IFN-beta treatment seems not to be effective for upregulating BDNF and IL-6 in RRMS patients.