Relation of inflammatory and oxidative biomarkers associated with relapse in pregnant women diagnosed with multiple sclerosis

Creative Commons License

Özdal B. B., Baştemur A. G., Gezer İ. S., KESİKLİ B., Ulusoy E. K., Tanaçan A., ...Daha Fazla

Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira, cilt.72, sa.4, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

Özet

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between inflammatory mediators (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, and interleukin-10), oxidative stress parameters, and obstetric-neonatal outcomes in maternal blood of pregnant patients with multiple sclerosis and healthy pregnant patients, and to identify biomarkers that may be useful in predicting relapse in pregnant patients with multiple sclerosis. METHODS: This prospective, single-center study was conducted at Ankara City Hospital between July 2024 and May 2025 and included a total of 72 patients: 36 pregnant women diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and 36 healthy pregnant women as the control group. The patients with multiple sclerosis were further divided into two groups: those who experienced relapses during pregnancy and those who did not. Clinical and demographic data, biochemical tests (interleukin-6, interleukin-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, total antioxidant status, and total oxidant status), and obstetric and neonatal outcomes were recorded. Data were analyzed statistically using SPSS 22.0, and appropriate statistical tests and correlation analyses were applied. RESULTS: Levels of interleukin-6, interleukin-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, total oxidant status, and total antioxidant status were significantly higher in patients with multiple sclerosis compared to controls (p<0.01). These parameters were even more elevated in patients who experienced relapses. Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that cut-off values of 237.8 pg/mL for tumor necrosis factor-alpha and 1.75 for interleukin-6/interleukin-10 provided high sensitivity and specificity in predicting multiple sclerosis relapse. CONCLUSION: Inflammatory and oxidative stress markers were elevated in pregnant women with multiple sclerosis, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels and the interleukin-6/interleukin-10 ratio were identified as potential biomarkers for predicting disease relapse.