Serum ferroxidase activity in patients with multiple sclerosis: a pilot study

Emerging evidence suggests that oxidative stress might contribute to demyelination and axonal damage in multiple sclerosis (MS). Ferroxidase (FeOx) activity of ceruloplasmin prevents the formation of free radicals from Fe(2+) by promoting the incorporation of this pro-oxidant ion to transferrin. The aim of our study was to investigate serum FeOx activity in a cohort of patients with MS and neurological controls. Serum FeOx activity was determined in 69 relapsing-remitting patients with MS and in 62 patients with other inflammatory neurological disorders (OIND) and 52 patients with other non-inflammatory neurological disorders (NIND) as controls. Serum FeOx activity was lower (p<0.01) in MS and OIND than in NIND, without any significant differences among MS patients grouped according to clinical and magnetic resonance evidence of disease activity. A reduced serum FeOx activity, which can potentially lead to a rise in oxidative stress-induced biomolecular damage, seems to be a shared condition in inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system including MS.