Investigating the Role of Osteopontin as a Potential Biomarker in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis is a chronic central nervous system disorder with an unknown etiology. Osteopontin is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that has been implicated in MS pathogenesis. This study aimed to investigate OPN levels in relapsing-remitting MS patients and compare them with healthy individuals to determine its potential role as a biomarker. Methods: A case-control study was conducted on MS patients referred to BooAli Hospital in Sari. Fifty relapsing-remitting MS patients and ۳۰ healthy controls were included. Plasma OPN levels were assessed using ELISA kits, and we considered the p-value < ۰.۰۵ significant. Findings: Among the participants, the MS group was composed of ۳۰ women (۶۰%) and ۲۰ men (۴۰%), while the healthy group comprised ۲۰ women (۶۶.۷%) and ten men (۳۳.۳%). Notably, OPN levels were significantly elevated in the MS group compared to the healthy individuals (p-value < ۰.۰۰۱). No difference in OPN levels was observed between male and female MS patients (p-value = ۰.۴). A significant inverse correlation was also identified between the EDSS score and OPN levels (p-value = ۰.۰۱). Conclusion: This study demonstrates elevated OPN levels in relapsing-remitting MS patients compared to healthy individuals, suggesting its potential as a biomarker for disease activity in MS.

کلیدواژه ها:

Multiple Sclerosis ، Osteopontin ، Pro-inflammatory cytokines ، Case-control study ، Relapsing-remitting MS ، Biomarker ، EDSS score