Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system probably mediated by Th1 lymphocytes. IFN-b is an established therapy for relapsing MS patients, although the mechanisms underlying its efficacy are yet to be well characterized. We determined IL-2 production, CD25 expression and T-cell proliferation from relapsing -remitting MS patients before and three months after starting therapy. A decrease in the percentage of CD80-induced IL-2-producing cells was observed after in vivo IFN-b treatment. These data support that one of the immunomodulatory effects of IFN-b treatment in MS may be a limitation of the autoimmune response modifying the CD80:CD28/CTLA-4 pathway.
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