Effect of natalizumab treatment on soluble adhesion molecules

Introduction: Natalizumab (Tysabri) is a monoclonal antibody used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). This humanized antibody binds directly at the α4-integrin subunit of the adhesion molecule (AM) very late activation antigen-4 (VLA-4) and thus leads to an inhibition of immune cell extravasation across the blood brain barrier. This consecutively results in a reduced inflammation of the central nervous system. Our objective was to study the effect of Natalizumab on soluble cell AMs in peripheral blood of patients before and three months after onset of Natalizumab treatment. Methods: We determined serum…