Immunological effects of methylprednisolone pulse treatment in progressive multiple sclerosis

Objective: To investigate the effect of monthly oral methylprednisolone pulse treatment in progressive MS. Methods: 30 progressive MS patients were treated with oral methylprednisolone every month. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: Out of 102 leukocyte phenotypes investigated, 25 changed at nominal significance from baseline to week 12 (p < 0.05). After correction for multiple comparisons, we found 5 subpopulations that changed compared to baseline. No pattern were suggesting modulation of Th17 or TFH cells. Conclusion: Methylprednisolone pulse treatment has some effects on circulating immune cells but does not modulate markers of Th17 and TFH cell activity in progressive MS.