Re: News - Key Protein Is Linked to Transverse Myelitis and Multiple Sclerosis

November 14, 2005

All,

I forwarded the link to the " Key Protein " (IL-6) article to my

Internist who prescribes my LDN and he replied with the following

comments. His comments are marked *.

Interleukin-6 is messenger/pro-inflammatory molecule that works by

increasing fenestration indirectly in endothelial walls. It does so

by stimulating C-Reactive Protein in the liver, but can also do so

locally. The C-RP, in turn, sits on receptors located at the IL-6

releasing sites and turns on two enzymes, Matrix Metaloproteinase 1

and 9 - then, subsequently as a collagenase and a gelatinase,

respectively.

*Looking at IL-6 as an inflammatory marker has been out for many

years. However, it is horribly non-specific and insensitive.

Mainly because ANY inflammation causes a rise in it, including heart

disease, cancer, Ulcerative Colitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis,

Psoriasis, and even plain old injury. Sorry, but here are some

obviously ignorant statements:

" This is the first time a single culprit has been identified as

causing a CNS autoimmune disease, " Kaplin said.

They just didn't bother looking for the INITIATING cause of IL-6

production.......Kuru virus is a cause for IL-6 production!

" The researchers began investigating the protein IL-6 when they

became aware that TM patients suffered from memory impairment and

depression. IL-6 has been implicated in mood and concentration

disorders. "

*Yes...and if they BOTHERED to read the literature, they would find

out it is because of excessive cortisol secondary to stress, which

in turn leads to a halt in BDNF, (Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor),

which causes cells, (particularly in the Hippocampus, where

emotional context is controlled), to shrink and die. The DEATH of

nerve cells CAUSES an IL-6 response......

" Researchers analyzed 42 inflammatory proteins in the cerebrospinal

fluid of both TM and healthy patients. They found that IL-6 was

consistently elevated in TM patients' spinal fluid. Further, the

level of IL-6 directly correlated with the severity of paralysis.

Using cell culture and animal studies, the researchers confirmed

that elevated IL-6 levels were directly injurious to the spinal

cord. They showed that spinal fluid from TM patients induced death

of spinal cord cells when cultured in a dish and that IL-6, when

infused in adult rats, induced paralysis. Under the microscope,

tissue from IL-6-infused rats showed demyelination and injury of

axons, pathology that was nearly identical to that seen in human

patients with TM. "

*They haven't figured out this is a cascade effect yet!! The

writers NEED TO READ!!!!

" Kerr and Kaplin also deduced that the reason IL-6 elevations injure

only the spinal cord and not other regions of the nervous system is

because distinct regions of the nervous system have different

responses to IL-6. They concluded that these different types of

responses might be a part of why different autoimmune disorders of

the nervous system affect distinct regions and cause distinct

symptoms. "

*These guys are blind...They take fluid from a sick rat, give it to

another rat, and wonder why it gets sick?? I think they are going

to be really rudely awakened when they take their first immunology

class. The term " ANTIBODY RESPONSE " , is a cascade of events which

lead to the death of a specified Th-1-targeted cell, of which IL-6

is but a messenger molecule.

P.S. My doctor also sent me a number of links to sites about IL-6.

I will be glad to provide them to anyone who is interested.

>

> Key Protein Is Linked to Transverse Myelitis and Multiple

Sclerosis

> By Vohr

> s Hopkins Medicine

>

> s Hopkins researchers have discovered a single molecule that

is a cause of an autoimmune disease in the central nervous system,

called transverse myelitis, that is related to multiple sclerosis.

>

> In a study published in the October issue of The Journal of

Clinical Investigation, psychiatrist Adam Kaplin and neurologist

Kerr, both assistant professors at the s Hopkins School

of Medicine, showed that the levels of the protein, IL-6, are

dramatically elevated in the spinal fluid of transverse myelitis

patients.

>

> Although the majority of TM patients suffer a single attack, 15

percent to 30 percent of patients go on to develop full-blown MS. TM

evolves rapidly and without warning and usually results in permanent

impairment, including weakness of the legs and arms, bowel and

bladder dysfunction, pain and paralysis.

>

> IL-6 is a chemical messenger that cells of the immune system use

to communicate with one another. One of the cell types injured by

high levels of IL-6 includes oligodendrocytes, which help produce

the protective myelin sheath coating around nerve cells. The

findings offer one possible mechanism responsible for demyelinating

disorders, such as TM and MS, and may aid in the development of

effective therapies against these disorders, the researchers say.

>

> " This is the first time a single culprit has been identified as

causing a CNS autoimmune disease, " Kaplin said.

>

> The researchers began investigating the protein IL-6 when they

became aware that TM patients suffered from memory impairment and

depression. IL-6 has been implicated in mood and concentration

disorders.

>

> " This discovery is a success story that begins with listening

carefully to what patients are telling us about their suffering and

then collaborating across disciplines to open up new avenues of

investigation, " Kaplin said.

>

> " TM is related to other autoimmune disorders of the nervous

system, including Guillain-Barre syndrome, MS and acute disseminated

encephalomyelitis. This study may give us a foothold in

understanding all of these disorders and how they are linked

together. The benefit is, therefore, not only to those who are

paralyzed by TM but to those who have disabilities due to a variety

of autoimmune disorders. We are actively using these findings to aid

in developing future diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic

advancements, " said Kerr, director of the s Hopkins Transverse

Myelitis Center, the only center devoted to TM in the world.

>

> Researchers analyzed 42 inflammatory proteins in the cerebrospinal