Dendritic Cells are Involved in Inflammation in MS

The summary below is based on the following journal article:

Thewissen, K et al, Circulating dendritic cells of multiple sclerosis patients are proinflammatory and their frequency is correlated with MS-associated genetic risk factors, published in Multiple Sclerosis, Sept 23, 2013 (e-publish ahead of print)

WHAT HAVE THEY FOUND?

Dendritic cells are a certain type of cell that form part of the immune system.  This study has found that the numbers of dendritic cells in the blood are decreased in people with progressive MS compared to those with relapsing-remitting MS or healthy controls.  Similarly, it was shown that people carrying genetic risk factors for MS had lower numbers of these cells circulating in the blood.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

It is generally accepted that the damage to nerves observed in MS is a result of being targeted by our own immune system. However, how the different cells of the immune system are involved and what exactly they are reacting against is still largely unknown.  Similarly, what causes the change from relapsing-remitting MS to a progressive form of the disease is also poorly understood.  Finally, although it is known that having certain forms of genes can increase the risk of developing MS, how they do this isn’t well understood.  Therefore, a major research focus is characterising the autoimmune response that occurs during MS.

The outcomes of this paper indicate that dendritic cells are playing an important role in the inflammation that is observed as part of MS.  The lower numbers of these cells in the blood was thought to be due to the fact that they have migrated to the CNS, where they increase inflammation and therefore contribute to the damage of nerves.  Currently, therapies that target the immune system form the basis of many of the available MS treatments.  Having a greater knowledge of the cells involved will allow for the development of more specific drugs that are more effective and have less side-effects.