Observational studyFrontiers in immunology2026
Residual inflammation in the cerebrospinal fluid after short- and long-term natalizumab treatment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
Observational study in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and objectives: Natalizumab (NTZ) is a high-efficacy therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) that blocks peripheral immune cell migration into the central nervous system. While short-term NTZ treatment reduces cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) inflammation, the extent of residual intrathecal inflammation after long-term NTZ treatment and its association with oligoclonal band (OCB) status remains unclear. In this study, we examined associations between NTZ treatment duration, OCB status and CSF inflammatory and tissue biomarkers as well as presence of residual intrathecal inflammation after more than five years of NTZ treatment. Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, fifteen inflammatory and tissue biomarkers were reliably measured in CSF using validated immunoassays or extracted from clinical records of 88 NTZ-treated RRMS and 104 untreated RRMS patients as well as 94 controls. Results: Compared to untreated RRMS patients, most CSF biomarkers were significantly lower in NTZ-treated and controls (Bonferroni-adjusted p (adj-p) < 0.05). However, soluble B cell maturation antigen (sBCMA), soluble CD27 (sCD27), chitotriosidase-1 (CHIT1), IgG index and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were higher in NTZ-treated compared to controls (adj-p < 0.05). NTZ treatment duration was inversely associated with sCD27 levels, and a positive OCB status was associated with higher sCD27 and IgG index (adj-p < 0.05). In patients treated with NTZ for more than five years (n = 41), levels of sCD27, IgG index and sBCMA were higher in OCB-positive patients (adj-p < 0.05), but not in OCB-negative, compared to age-matched controls. Discussion: Natalizumab treatment reduces CSF inflammation biomarkers, but after more than five years of treatment levels of sCD27, sBCMA and IgG index remain significantly above control levels in OCB-positive NTZ-treated patients. This indicates residual intrathecal adaptive immune activation in OCB-positive NTZ-treated RRMS patients, suggesting that compartmentalized adaptive inflammation in RRMS is incompletely suppressed by NTZ.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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 OpenQuestion graph.