Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid

Complement activation in the central nervous system following blood–brain barrier damage in man

“…By promoting chemotaxis and vascular perturbation, C activation may instigate nonimmune inflammation and aggravate CNS damage in diseases associated with plasma extravasation. barrier integrity, the level of C proteins (C3, C4) is typically several hundredfold lower in CSF than in serum [2]. Isolation of the CNS from C proteins is appropriate, since neural elements are vulnerable to complement lysis and oligodendrocytes and myelin can activate C via the classical pathway in an antibodyindependent manner [3-71.…”

“…The C system is composed of at least 20 plasma proteins [I], the concerted action of which leads to an assembly of terminal complement complexes (TCCs) in the form of fluid-phase products (SC5b-9) or cytolytic membrane attack complexes (MACs) on cell membranes. During a physiologic steady-state blood-cerebrospinal fluid (blood-CSF) barrier integrity, the level of C proteins (C3, C4) is typically several hundredfold lower in CSF than in serum [2]. Isolation of the CNS from C proteins is appropriate, since neural elements are vulnerable to complement lysis and oligodendrocytes and myelin can activate C via the classical pathway in an antibodyindependent manner [3-71. Apart from homeostatic functions during microbial infections and removal of foreign or necrotic cells, the C system can aggravate inflammation and tissue damage, eg, in vasculitic and autoimmune syndromes, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis [S], and myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury it was demonstrated that the pathophysiologic consequences of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion can be di- In circulating plasma, C is constantly under active control by several humoral regulators that include C 1 inhibitor, C4b binding protein, factor H, clusterin, and vitronectin.…”

Cell-Mediated Immune Functions in Multiple Sclerosis

“…A comprehensive investigation of the number of immunoglobulin-secreting cells and the IgG secretion index in the CSF (IgG, IgM and IgA) by a research group in Sweden [Henriksson et al, 1985] noted that in MS there was a higher percentage of immuno globulin-secreting cells (due predominantly to the high concentration of IgG-secreting cells) in the CSF than in the peripheral blood. Other studies of the number of B cells in the CSF and peripheral blood have ob served a higher percentage in the latter [Kam-Hansen et al, 1978;Brooks et al, 1983], These studies, however, were not de tecting the immunoglobulin-secreting cells, i.e. the final stage of differentiation of B cells.…”