Cerebrospinal fluid progranulin levels in patients with different multiple sclerosis subtypes

Progranulin has recently attracted attention due to the discovery of mutations in its encoding gene (GRN) in several cases of frontotemporal lobar degeneration, but also for a possible role in inflammatory processes. In adult central nervous system, GRN mRNA is expressed in forebrain, olfactory bulbs and spinal cord. Progranulin cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels were evaluated in 55 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as in 35 subjects with non-inflammatory neurological diseases (NIND), 7 individuals with other inflammatory neurological disease (OIND) and 8 controls (CON), matched for ethnic background, gender and age. No statistically significant differences were found in patients compared with either NIND, OIND or CON (P > 0.05), even stratifying according to disease subtype or gender. A positive correlation between progranulin CSF levels and age was observed in patients (rho = 0.29, P = 0.03). According to these data, progranulin does not likely play a major role in the pathogenesis of MS.