Immunological effects of methylprednisolone pulse treatment in progressive multiple sclerosis

Objective: To investigate the effect of monthly oral methylprednisolone pulse treatment in progressive MS. Methods: 30 progressive MS patients were treated with oral methylprednisolone every month. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: Out of 102 leukocyte phenotypes investigated, 25 changed at nominal significance from baseline to week 12 (p < 0.05). After correction for multiple comparisons, we found 5 subpopulations that changed compared to baseline. No pattern were suggesting modulation of Th17 or TFH cells. Conclusion: Methylprednisolone pulse treatment has some effects on circulating immune cells but does not modulate markers of Th17 and TFH cell activity in progressive MS. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.