Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40474243›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuroinflammation2025

Aging-dependent change in Th17 and cytokine response in multiple sclerosis.

Wen Zhu, Shankar Revu, Chenyi Chen, Megan Dahl, Archana Ramkumar, Conor Kelly, Mandy J McGeachy, Zongqi Xia

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neuroinflammation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Wen ZhuDepartment of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Shankar RevuDepartment of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Chenyi ChenDepartment of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Megan DahlDepartment of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Archana RamkumarDepartment of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Conor KellyDepartment of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Mandy J McGeachyDepartment of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Zongqi XiaDepartment of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. zxia1@post.harvard.edu.

Funding

Leveraging electronic health records to optimize treatment selection and response in multiple sclerosisR01NS098023 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI Zongqi Xia · 2016 to 2026
$4.6M
Real-world impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in people with multiple sclerosisR01NS124882 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI XIA, ZONGQI · 2022 to 2024
$1.2M
NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS098023NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS124882
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease damaging the central nervous system. Diminished inflammatory disease activity (DA) as people with MS (pwMS) age motivated randomized clinical trials assessing disease-modifying therapy (DMT) discontinuation in older pwMS given the concern for risks outweighing benefits. This study aims to examine whether peripheral production of Myelin Basic Protein (MBP)-driven cytokine responses mediate the aging-associated decline in MS inflammatory DA.

methodsWe included the clinical data of 669 adult pwMS between 2017 and 2022 who enrolled in a clinic-based prospective cohort. From a subset of 80 participants, we isolated fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and cultured with 50 µg/ml of MBP (or heat-killed Candida) for 24 h. We assayed cell culture supernatants for interleukin 17 (IL-17) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and a subset of the supernatant samples using a commercial human cytokine/chemokine array. We examined the associations between age and annualized relapse rate (ARR) as well as between age and MBP-stimulated cytokine production (by cultured PBMC) using covariate-adjusted linear regressions. We performed mediation analyses to determine the extent to which MBP-driven cytokine response drives the association between age and ARR.

resultsAmong 669 pwMS (mean age 51.7 ± 12.7 years, 80.7% women, 89.4% non-Hispanic White), ARR declined with age (β=-0.003, p < 0.001). Among the subgroup of 80 pwMS whose cultured PBMCs underwent ex vivo MBP stimulation, IL-17 production declined with age in women (β=-0.27, p = 0.04) but not men (β=-0.1, p = 0.73). MBP-driven IL-17 response partially mediated the association between older age and lower ARR (24.6% in women, 15.3% in men). In exploratory analyses, older pwMS (≥ 50 years) had marginally lower (IL-4, MCP-2, MCP-3, PDGF-AA, PDGF-AB/BB) and higher (Fractalkine, MDC) concentrations of several cytokines than younger pwMS (< 50 years), while certain cytokines (MCP-2, MDC) mediated whereas others negated the effect of age on ARR.

conclusionDiminished peripheral IL-17 response as a potential biological mechanism underlying the aging-dependent decline in MS inflammatory DA warrants further investigation.

Indexed as

AgingCytokinesMultiple SclerosisTh17 CellsAdultAgedCohort StudiesFemaleHumansLeukocytes, MononuclearMaleMiddle AgedMyelin Basic ProteinProspective StudiesCytokinesMyelin Basic ProteinAgingInflammatory disease activityMultiple sclerosisMyelin basic proteinRelapseTh17

Identifiers

PMID40474243
PMCPMC12142853

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.