The IL-1 super-family of cytokines and receptors is highly pleiotropic and plays a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of several auto-inflammatory conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and psoriasis.
Activation of the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is involved in the maturation and secretion of IL-1β and IL-18 and, thus, plays a key role in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS).
On the other hands, gain-of-function variants in NLRP3 (Q705K) and IL1B (-511 C >T) associated with severity and progression of MS, suggesting that a constitutive activation of NLRP3 inflammasome could represent a risk factor for MS clinical presentation.
We found that compared with placebo, probiotic supplementation down-regulated gene expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8; p < 0.001) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) mRNA (p < .001) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with MS. We did not observe any significant effect of probiotic supplementation on gene expression of interleukin-1 (IL-1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ), or oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with MS.
In the present work, we overexpressed interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) in the cortex to develop an animal model reflecting the main pathological hallmarks of MS.
Given that SAA is detected in Alzheimer disease and multiple sclerosis brain, together with IL-1β-immunopositive microglia, these findings propose a link between P2X<sub>7</sub>R, SAA, and IL-1β in CNS pathophysiology.
Fish oil is claimed to improve outcome in multiple sclerosis (MS) through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects by reducing cytokines including TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL6, and IL-1β.
Consistently, we found that cathepsin Z-deficiency reduced the efficiency of antigen presenting cells to secrete IL-1β, which in turn reduced the ability of mice to generate Th17 responses-critical steps in the pathogenesis of EAE and MS.
Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is implicated in numerous pathologies, including multiple sclerosis and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).
Here, we review the recent findings showing an implication of the IL-1 system in EAE and MS, and introduce a model that highlights how IL-1β and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) are interacting together to create a vicious feedback cycle of CNS inflammation that ultimately leads to myelin and neuronal damage.
This is consistent with the hypothesis that a lower propensity of macrophages to synthesise 25-HC will result in reduced negative feedback by 25-HC on IL-1 family cytokine production and exacerbated MS.
However, in an in vitro inflammasome activity assay with PBMC, IL-1β protein secretion and the IL-1β/IL-1Ra protein ratio were similar in MS patients and HC.
A significant association was found for the IL-1β +3953 T allele [OR=1.43, 95% CI (1.14-1.79), P value=0.002, Pc=0.01] and for IL-1β +3953 T/T genotype and MS risk [OR=1.92, 95% CI (1.25-2.96), P value=0.005, Pc=0.01].
However, in an in vitro inflammasome activity assay with PBMC, IL-1β protein secretion and the IL-1β/IL-1Ra protein ratio were similar in MS patients and HC.
The serum levels of numerous cytokines (IL-1β, IL-12, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10, and IL-17) serum lipid levels, plasma insulin levels, and the Homeostasis Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) levels were evaluated in 123 female and 43 male patients with MS.