It is assumed that pre- and anti-inflammatory cytokines participate in the development and regulation of autoimmune processes in multiple sclerosis (MS). Efforts are made to detect those suitable for investigating the activity of the disease and those which could be considered its markers. In the submitted paper the authors analyzed by means of flow cytometry the percentage ratio of interferon- -gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) producing CD3+T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood stream in four groups of patients (n=28) with stabilized MS and in controls (n=9) with the objective to evaluate formation of both cytokines as well as their possible changes due to interferon beta (IFN-beta) treatment in patients with a remitting course of the disease. In the groups of patients with MS (1 and 2 SPMS and RRMS, not treated with IFN-beta, 3 RRMS – treated for one year, 4 RRMS – treated for two years) and in controls great interindividual differences were observed in values of IFN-gamma and IL-4 when subsequently processed statistically by the F-test and non-paired t-test. Although the clinical interpretation of statistical results is pretentious, the authors consider the comparism of groups of RRMS patients not treated and treated for two years with IFN-beta most important (at the level of statistical significance p < 0.05) which does not rule out the favourable effect of this treatment on their course of the disease. The assembled results indicate that continuous follow up of both cytokines would be an asset in the management of SM also under our conditions.

        Key words: multiplex sclerosis, interferon-gamma, interleukin-4, flow cytometry