Interferon-beta treatment in multiple sclerosis patients decreases the number of monocytes in peripheral blood

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, characterized by the presence of sclerotic lesions throughout the brain. During clinical activity, monocytes activation markers such as Interleukin 1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) increase. The effect of interferon beta (IFN-β) in reducing exacerbation rate and in slowing sustained worsening of disability has been shown in MS. The aim of this study was to determine levels of monocytes percentage in peripheral blood of MS patients receiving IFN-β. We carried out this study in two groups of MS patients and a group of healthy subjects. First (study) group consisted of 13 patients treated by INF-β. The control groups consisted of a) 14 MS patients group with no treatment by INF-β and b) 20 healthy subjects. We counted the percentage of monocytes in the study group before and after one year of treatment by IFN-β and in the control groups patients in the same period. At the end of one year, there was a significant reduction in the percentage of monocytes in peripheral blood of MS patients treated by interferon.