Detection of STAT4 in Multiple Sclerotic Patients by Polymerase Chain Reaction and Flow Cytometry

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS) (Huang et al., 2017).

The exact etiology of the disease is unknown, it is a heterogeneous, multifactorial and immune-mediated disease that is caused by complex gene-environment interactions (Olsson el al., 2017). It is mediated by autoreactive lymphocytes that cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) and enter the CNS where they cause local inflammation that results in demyelination, gliotic scarring, and axonal loss (Huang et al., 2017).

The onset of MS has been typically observed in individuals aged from 20 to 40 years, with the female to male ratio of 2:1 (Koch-Henriksen and Sørensen, 2010). According to a documented MS registry from Egypt done in 2010 and 2017, the epidemiology of MS was slightly differed from other Arab countries and western countries. The mean age of disease onset was 26.6±7.8 years, with the majority being females (2.11:1). Relapsing-remitting MS was the most common type (75.1%) (Hamdy et al., 2017). And its prevalence was found to be 14.1/100.000 (Hashem et al., 2010).

The pathological hallmark of MS is the accumulation of inflammatory demyelinating lesions that occur in the white matter and the grey matter of the brain and spinal cord (Celius and Smestad, 2009).

MS is regarded as a T cell mediated autoim¬mune disorder with a predominance of CD8+ cells compared with other T-cell subsets. The disease begins in inflammatory induced lesions consisting mainly of CD8+ T cells, and CD4+ T cells, and activate microglia/macrophages (Traugott et al., 1983; Ferguson el al., 1997). B lymphocytes and their cytokines are other factors in the pathogenesis of the disease. They have both positive and negative effects in the development of MS through lymphotoxin and IL-10, respectively (Duddy el al., 2007). It can be triggered by various environmental components, such as exposure to ultraviolet light, drugs, chemicals, and viral infections (Olsson el al., 2017).