Cerebrospinal fluid, brain, and spinal cord levels of L ‐aspartate signal excitatory neurotransmission abnormalities in multiple sclerosis patients and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mouse model

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic immune-mediated disease characterized by inflammation, demyelination, gliosis, and neurodegeneration in the central nervous system. Neuroinflammatory processes in MS are associated with a remarkable overactivation of glutamate receptors; however, the specific involvement of excitatory amino acid levels remains unclear. In a cohort of relapsing –remitting MS patients but not controls, we showed a marked correlation between the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of the endogenous NMDA receptor agonist, L-aspartate, and those of the cytokines G-CSF, IL-1ra, MIP-1β, and Eotaxin. These findings indicate that CSF L-aspartate levels signal neur oinflammatory events associated with excitatory synaptopathy in MS. AbstractThe neuroinflammatory process characterizing multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with changes in excitatory synaptic transmission and altered central concentrations of the primary excitatory amino acid, L-glutamate (L-Glu). Recent findings report that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of L-Glu positively correlate with pro-inflammatory cytokines in MS patients. However, to date, there is no evidence about the relationship between the other primary excitatory amino acid, L-aspartate (L-Asp), its derivative D-enantiomer, D-aspartate, and the levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the CSF of MS. In the present study, we measured by HPLC the levels of these amino acids in the cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, an...
Source: Journal of Neurochemistry - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research