Increased autotaxin activity in multiple sclerosis

Autotaxin (ATX) is an enzyme producing lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) from lysophosphatidyl choline (LPC) and it is up-regulated in inflammatory conditions such as various cancers, arthritis and multiple sclerosis (MS). Numerous studies have shown that the LPA signaling gives rise to angiogenesis, mitosis, cell proliferation and cytokine secretion. On the one hand, an increasing body of evidence suggests that blockade of ATX has anti-inflammatory properties in a variety of diseases. The aim of this study was to measure the enzyme activity of ATX in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of patients with MS using an enzymatic photometric method. Twenty definite relapsing remitting MS patients along with 20 patients with other neurological diseases (OND) were recruited. The results showed that ATX activity was significantly higher (p value < 0.0001) in MS patients than those patients diagnosed with OND. It is possible that inhibition of the ATX may decrease the rate of MS relapses/progression.