Increase of CD4⁺TNFα⁺IL-2^-T cells in cerebrospinal fluid of multiple sclerosis patients

Intracellular production of TNFα and IL-2 after stimulation with phorbol myristate/ionomycin was flowcytometrically measured in CD4⁺ T cells from peripheral blood (PB) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 29 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and 16 with other inflammatory and 41 with other non-inflammatory neurological diseases. In CSF, the percentages of CD4⁺ TNFα⁺IL-2^-T cells were significantly higher in patients with MS than either of the controls, whereas no difference was found in CD4⁺TNFα⁺IL-2⁺T or CD4⁺TNFα^-IL-2⁺T cells. The increase was more pronounced at relapse than in remission. No significant change was detected in PB. These findings suggested that CD4⁺TNFα⁺IL-2^-T cells are intrathecally upregulated in MS.