ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1579045
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring the Immunopathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis and Axonal Injuries: Unveiling Potential Therapeutic Targets and Strategies for the Development of Innovative TreatmentsView all 3 articles
Discovery and Early Validation of Serum Protein Signatures in untreated Multiple Sclerosis patients: Identification of Candidate Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Stratification
Provisionally accepted- 1Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation group. Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga-IBIMA Plataforma Bionand, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Málaga, Andalusia, Spain
- 2Cellular and Molecular Biology PhD Program, Faculty of Science, University of Malaga, Málaga, Spain
- 3Department of Neurology, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
- 4Biomedicine PhD Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaga, Málaga, Spain
- 5Department of Neurology, Hospital Complejo Torrecárdenas, Almería, Spain
- 6Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, Seville, Spain
- 7Department of Pharmacology and Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain
- 8Department of Cellular Biology, Genetics and Physiology, University of Málaga, Malaga, Andalusia, Spain
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Background: Despite progress in serum biomarker research, reliable tools for early diagnosis and patient stratification in multiple sclerosis (MS) remain limited. This study uses proteomic profiling in untreated MS patients to identify early disease-associated biomarkers.We conducted an unbiased proteomic screen to capture broad serum protein expression profiles in a well-characterized discovery cohortsample: 7 relapsing remitting MS (RRMS), 7 secondary progressive MS (SPMS) 4 with primary progressive MS (PPMS) alongside 6 healthy controls (HC). Twelve candidate biomarkers were subsequently validated by ELISA in an independent cohort sample comprising 80 untreated MS patients (38 RRMS, 21 SPMS, 21 PPMS) and 21 age-and sex-matched HC from southern Spain.Results: In the discovery phase, 393 proteins were identified; 13 showed significant differences between MS patients and controls and 4 were dysregulated between PPMS and relapsingonset MS (ROMS). These proteins were involved in immune responses, oxidative stress, and complement regulation. ELISA validation confirmed six differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) in MS patients compared to controls. Among these, BST1 levels were elevated in ROMS (Padj = 0.0017), while FCGR3A showed significant increases in PPMS (Padj = 0.034). PRDX6 levels were consistently elevated in both ROMS (Padj = 0.044) and PPMS (Padj = 0.001), as were APEH levels (ROMS vs. HC: Padj = 0.038; PPMS vs. HC: Padj = 0.009), both correlating with higher disability scores. In contrast, CFHR5 and MST1 levels were significantly reduced in ROMS (Padj 0.001 for both). Besides, disease severity was significantly associated with higher MST1 and APEH levels. Functional enrichment analyses linked these proteins to innate immunity, neuroinflammation, and metabolic regulation.Our study identified six proteins involved in key pathological mechanisms such as inflammation, oxidative stress, immune regulation, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity. Notably, the upregulation of PRDX6-linked to protein repair and neuroprotection in EAE models-may reflect a compensatory response to neuroinflammatory damage. Conversely, the downregulation of MST1, a molecule involved in immune signaling, could impair neuroprotective signaling and contribute to disease progression. These findings highlight PRDX6 and MST1 as particularly promising biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of MS, meriting further validation in larger, longitudinal cohorts.
Keywords: Multiple Sclerosis, Serum biomarkers, Proteomics, Differentially abundant proteins, Neuroinflammation, innate immunity, Oxidative Stress
Received: 18 Feb 2025; Accepted: 31 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Brichette Mieg, Alonso Torres, Aliaga Gaspar, Rodríguez-Bada, Reyes-Garrido, Urbaneja-Romero, Muñoz, Díaz-Sánchez, Martín-Montañez, Cabello-Porras, Oliver-Martos and Leyva. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Begoña Oliver-Martos, Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation group. Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga-IBIMA Plataforma Bionand, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Málaga, Andalusia, Spain
Laura Leyva, Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation group. Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga-IBIMA Plataforma Bionand, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Málaga, Andalusia, Spain
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