The Relationship between the Values of Leptin, Interlukin-10, and TNFα with Fatigue and Aerobic Capacity in Women with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating autoimmune disease with an unclear mechanism. MS is characterized by axonal damage, demyelination, and increased inflammation. Cytokines play important roles in the pathogenesis of MS. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between some cytokines with fatigue and aerobic capacity in women with MS.
45 women with MS participated in this study. The levels of serum leptin, TNFα, and IL-10 were measured by ELISA method. Fatigue and aerobic capacity were evaluated by fatigue severity scale questionnaire and ergometer cycle incremental test, respectively.
Leptin had a significant positive correlation with TNFα, body mass index and fatigue in these patients. Furthermore, leptin had a significant negative correlation with aerobic capacity and aerobic capacity had a significant negative correlation with fatigue and disability scale. While TNFα had a significant positive correlation with fatigue, interlukin-10 had no correlation with other factors.
Improvement on aerobic capacity and regular physical activity can be accompanied with decrease in production of inflammatory cytokines and fatigue. This may increase the quality of life in people with MS.