Alireza Rafiei; Mahoud Abedini; Seyed Hamzeh Hosseini; Zahra HosseiniKhah; Behrouz Bazrafshan; Mohsen Tehrani
Volume 9, Issue 3 , September 2012, , Pages 159-167
Abstract
Background: The pathogenesis of migraine involves immune-mediated mechanisms in the vascular endothelium. Toll like receptor 4 (TLR-4) is a signaling receptor of innate immunity which plays a role in various neuropathologies related to neuron inflammation. Objective: This case/control study is aimed ...
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Background: The pathogenesis of migraine involves immune-mediated mechanisms in the vascular endothelium. Toll like receptor 4 (TLR-4) is a signaling receptor of innate immunity which plays a role in various neuropathologies related to neuron inflammation. Objective: This case/control study is aimed to investigate whether TLR- 4 896A/G variation is related to migraine headaches in an Iranian population. Methods: A total of 170 migraine patients (130 females, mean age 33.24 ± 11 years) and 170 age, sex, and ethnicity matched healthy controls (118 females, mean age of 31 ± 10 years) were recruited. Genotyping was carried out using the tetra primer amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR. Results: The frequency of G allele was higher in migraine patients than the controls (15% vs. 4.7%; p<0.0001). Interestingly, the distribution of heterozygous 896A/G genotype statistically differed between migraineurs and controls (25.3% vs. 8.2%, p=0.00002, OR 3.87, 95% CI; 2.02-7.4). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that G allele in affected female migraineurs is an independent factor associated with increased risk of migraine (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.23-8.24, p=0.01). Conclusion: Our results showed TLR-4 polymorphism as a genetic risk factor for migraine. However, further studies in different populations are required to elucidate the precise role of TLR-4 896A/G mutation in susceptibility to migraine.
Alireza Andalib; Hassan Doulabi; Mohammadreza Najafi; Mehdi Tazhibi
Volume 8, Issue 1 , March 2011, , Pages 1-10
Abstract
Background: Th1 cells preferentially express CXCR3, CCR5 and CCR6, while CCR3 and CCR4 are predominantly expressed by Th2 cell subsets. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a Th1 cell-dependant chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, and immunomudolatory cytokines could alter the chemokine ...
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Background: Th1 cells preferentially express CXCR3, CCR5 and CCR6, while CCR3 and CCR4 are predominantly expressed by Th2 cell subsets. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a Th1 cell-dependant chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, and immunomudolatory cytokines could alter the chemokine expression pattern of these lymphocyte subsets. Objective: This study was performed to measure chemokine receptor expression on CD4 T cells for evaluation of Th1/Th2 dominantly in IFN-β treated patients. Methods: flowcytometry was used to detect chemokine receptor expression on CD4 T cell population in PBMCs obtained from MS and healthy control groups. Twenty six MS patients participated in this study before and after IFN-β therapy and the same number of healthy individuals were included. Results: The percentage of lymphocytes was 41.28% ± 10.30 in the blood of MS group compared with 36.88% ± 5.51% in the control group (p=0.017). The CD4+CXCR3+ cells were 18.86% ± 8.46% in healthy group, 30.78% ± 9.8% in pre-treated MS patients and 21.06% ± 9.23% in posttreated group (p<0.001). The CD4+CCR4+ cell subsets were 27.35% ± 10.15% in healthy group; 28.17% ± 8.9% in pre-treated group and 34.20% ± 8.96% in the post- IFN-β treatment group. The subset of CD4+CCR4+ was found to be dominant after IFN- β therapy in comparison with the control group (p<0.001). CD4+CCR5+ percentage was 1.24% ± 0.92% in the healthy people, 1.23% ± 0.71% in the MS patients and 0.76% ± 0.49% in post-treatment status (p=0.003). CD4+CCR3+ cell subsets were 0.62% ± 0.67% in control group, 0.28% ± 0.26% in the MS patients (p=0.022) and 0.39% ± 0.54% in IFN-β treated patients (p=0.334). An association was found for CXCR3 expression in pre- and post- treatment status (r=0.840, p<0.001) as well as for CCR4+ expression (r=0.712, p<0.001) in the same groups. The Th1 response was dominant in pre-treatment states, and then it shifted to a Th2 dominant state after IFN-β treatment. Conclusion: We suggest that the chemokine receptor expression of Th1/Th2 cell subsets could be used for monitoring and the evaluation of the MS disease status.