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December 1, 1996

Increased MRI activity and immune activation in two multiple sclerosis patients treated with the monoclonal anti-tumor necrosis factor antibody cA2

December 1996 issue
47 (6) 1531-1534

Abstract

There is evidence that treatment with an antibody to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) improves an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS) and is beneficial in two systemic inflammatory diseases in humans, but there are no reports about anti-TNF treatment of MS. Therefore, we treated two rapidly progressive MS patients with intravenous infusions of a humanized mouse monoclonal anti-TNF antibody (cA2) in an open-label phase I safety trial and monitored their clinical status, gadolinium-enhanced brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) immunologic status.
We did not notice any clinically significant neurologic changes in either patient.The number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions increased transiently after each treatment in both patients. CSF leukocyte counts and IgG index increased after each treatment.
The transient increase in the number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions that followed each infusion of cA2 together with the increase in cells and immunoglobulin in the CSF of each patient suggest that the treatment caused immune activation and an increase in disease activity. These results suggest that further use of cA2 in MS is not warranted and that studies of other agents that antagonize TNF alpha should be carried out with frequent monitoring of gadolinium-enhanced MRIs.
NEUROLOGY 1996;47: 1531-1534

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Published In

Neurology®
Volume 47Number 6December 1996
Pages: 1531-1534
PubMed: 8960740

Publication History

Published online: December 1, 1996
Published in print: December 1996

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Authors

Affiliations & Disclosures

B.M.E. von Blomberg, PhD
From the Departments of Neurology (Drs. van Oosten, Truyen, Boringa, Bertelsmann, and Polman), Diagnostic Radiology (Dr. Barkhof), and Pathology (Dr. von Blomberg), Free University Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Centocor Inc. (Dr. Woody), Malvern, PA; and the Department of Neurology (Dr. Hartung), Julius-Maximilians-University, Wurzburg, Germany.
Received February 23, 1996. Accepted in final form May 7, 1996.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Polman, Professor of Neurology, Free University Hospital, P.O. Box 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

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Cited By
  1. Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha Inhibitors: Can They Induce an Idiopathic Inflammatory Demyelinating Disease in the Central Nervous System?, Journal of Multiple Sclerosis Research, (2024).https://doi.org/10.4274/jmsr.galenos.2024.2024-3-1
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  2. Oligodendrocytes in central nervous system diseases: the effect of cytokine regulation, Neural Regeneration Research, (2024).https://doi.org/10.4103/1673-5374.392854
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  3. The contribution of tumor necrosis factor to multiple sclerosis: a possible role in progression independent of relapse?, Journal of Neuroinflammation, 21, 1, (2024).https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-024-03193-6
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  5. Ophthalmological and Neurological Findings in Patients with Idiopathic Uveitis Associated with Retinal Vasculitis and the Relation with the HLA DR15 Allele, Ocular Immunology and Inflammation, (1-7), (2024).https://doi.org/10.1080/09273948.2024.2316759
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  7. Targeting cytokine networks in neuroinflammatory diseases, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, (2024).https://doi.org/10.1038/s41573-024-01026-y
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  8. The dichotomic role of single cytokines: Fine-tuning immune responses, Cytokine, 173, (156408), (2024).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156408
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  9. Are 5HT7 Receptors Possible Target for Multiple Sclerosis?, Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology, (1514-1520), (2023).https://doi.org/10.52711/0974-360X.2023.00248
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  10. Past, Present and (Foreseeable) Future of Biological Anti-TNF Alpha Therapy, Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12, 4, (1630), (2023).https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12041630
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