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Advanced Neurology                                                   Multiple sclerosis: Immunopathogenesis



            suggesting their involvement in the progression of MS .   these epitopes is related to CNS antigens remains an open
                                                        [90]
            Numerous studies have shown that individuals who   question .
                                                                      [94]
            develop ON as the first clinical symptom of MS have a   Studies  are  still  underway  to  better  understand  how
            lower  degree  of disability, whereas  MS first appears  in   inflammatory demyelination processes in the optic nerve
            other neurological structures. Serum adiponectin, leptin,   leads to loss of retinal ganglion cells in the retinal layer of
            and resistin concentration were remarkably lower in   the eye. Research on the early molecules of the complement
            patients with ON as the first symptom compared to ON   pathway,  C1q  and  C3,  has  led  to  the  hypothesis  that
            negative as first symptom (adiponectin P = 0.004, leptin   deviation in complement expression by astroglia leads
            P = 0.013, resistin P = 0.006). Curiously, healthy control   to neurotoxicity . In addition, recent studies have
                                                                             [95]
            subjects and patients with ON as their first clinical episode   shown that C3 is primarily expressed in neurotoxic
            had similar adiponectin, leptin, and resistin levels .
                                                    [90]
                                                               astrocytes [96,97] . Immunohistochemical staining has
              Research was conducted to evaluate the changes in   identified a neurotoxic subtype of optic nerve astrocytes
            brain structural volume. In MS active individuals, the   that express greater amounts of complement component 3
            loss of ganglion cell volume and inner plexiform layer   (C3) . Early complement pathway molecules such as C1q
                                                                   [98]
            as well as total brain mass was two times greater and   and C3 may have the ability to mediate neurodegenerative
            five times faster in thalamic regions than in MS-stable   processes in MS . Yes-associated protein (YAP) has been
                                                                            [21]
            patients during the first 2 years after the onset of MS,   implicated in the mechanism of neuroinflammation and
            although these strong contrasts decreased 5 years after   may upregulate the expression of transforming growth
            the onset of MS [91] . With the aid of optical coherence   factor beta (TGFβ) to prevent inflammatory responses,
            tomography, retinal damage was found in association   demyelination, and retinal ganglion cell death in ON .
                                                                                                           [99]
            with neuroinflammation, particularly in acute ON, and   Based on research and also clinical practice, not only
            similar changes have been observed in patients with MS.   the pathogenesis of ON, but also the clinical features are
            Under the premise of the association of retinal atrophy   linked with MS. Therefore, further investigation may
            with  brain  atrophy,  researchers  used  MS  model  to   lead to the discovery of markers for detecting early-stage
            study acute and chronic in vivo molecules in the retina   demyelination,  which  is  instrumental  for  predicting
            during acute and chronic ON by employing the Raman   disease development and  if  necessary,  initiating  early
            spectroscope. Ten different molecules that correlate   treatment.
            with cellular energy and axon biology were selected.
            It  was  found  that  age  was  the  major  determinant  of   7. Conclusions
            the concentration changes of some molecules. The   In Western countries, MS is the leading cause of neurological
            most striking alteration was the change in metabolites   disability and typically occurs more frequently in women
            related to mitochondria and energy supply (NADH and   than in men. The etiopathogenesis of MS is a complex
            FAD) [92] .
                                                               and multistage process encompassing inflammation,
              One study examined the relationship between visual   demyelination, and neurodegeneration, in which genetic
            evoked  potentials  and  thiol-disulfide  homeostasis,  a   and environmental factors are at play. The smouldering MS
            measure of redox imbalance. The study provided evidence   hypothesis may help explain disease progression during
            that during an episode of ON in MS, there was a delay in   the remission phase. Early diagnosis of the disease could
            nerve signal transmission from the retina to the visual   be realized using biological markers for disease detection,
            cortices, known as P100 wave latency, while the thiol-  but the search for specific and accurate diagnostic markers
            disulfide balance shifted in favor of disulfides .  is currently in progress. Optic neuritis is an important
                                                [93]
              Since MS is mainly triggered by autoimmune       manifestation of MS, which is part of the criteria for
            reactions against the CNS, CSF examination should be   early diagnosis of demyelinating disease. In conclusion,
            the priority in the search for biomarkers. A  study has   establishing a more comprehensive set of diagnostic
            shown that the epitopes of A and B likely mimic the high-  criteria for MS is a prerequisite for earlier detection and
            affinity antigenic epitopes of cytomegalovirus and EBV,   diagnosis of MS, which is crucial for earlier prescription
            corroborating these epitopes as potent candidates for   of treatments to improve the patient’s condition and halt
            serological biomarkers . The high-antigenic epitopes   disease progression.
                               [94]
            of glycoprotein B  cytomegalovirus and VCA p18  EBV   Acknowledgments
            suggest their role in the pathogenesis of MS, although
            how the humoral response of the immune system against   None.



            Volume 2 Issue 3 (2023)                         9                         https://doi.org/10.36922/an.1319
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