Exploring the Gene Expression and Plasma Protein Levels of HSP90, HSP60, and GDNF in Multiple Sclerosis Patients and Healthy Controls

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized by im-mune-mediated inflammation and neurodegeneration in the central nervous system (CNS). In this study, we aimed to investigate the gene expression and plasma protein levels of three neuropro-tective genes—heat shock proteins (HSP90 and HSP60) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)—in MS patients compared to healthy controls. Forty patients with relaps-ing-remitting MS and 40 healthy volunteers participated in this study. Gene expression was measured using reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR, and protein levels were as-sessed via ELISA. The results showed a significant increase in HSP90 (1.7-fold) and HSP60 (2-fold) gene expression in MS patients compared to controls, along with corresponding increases in protein levels (1.5-fold for both HSP90 and HSP60). In contrast, GDNF gene expression and protein levels were significantly reduced in MS patients, with a 7-fold decrease in gene expression and a 1.6-fold reduction in protein levels. Notably, a non-linear relationship between GDNF gene expression and protein concentration was observed in MS patients, suggesting complex regulato-ry mechanisms influencing GDNF in the disease. The upregulation of HSP90 and HSP60 in MS highlights their roles in immune regulation and stress responses, while the reduction in GDNF indicates impaired neuroprotection. These findings suggest that HSP90, HSP60, and GDNF could serve as biomarkers for disease progression and as potential therapeutic targets in MS, offering promising avenues for future research and treatment development.