preproenkephalin and Multiple-Sclerosis

Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) demonstrated significant levels of antibody for somatostatin-28, its C-terminal fragment somatostatin-14, and prodynorphin. In contrast there were lower levels of reactivity for somatostatin-28(1-14) (the N-terminal fragment of somatostatin-28) and negligible reactivity for several other peptides including beta-endorphin and corticotropin. Healthy volunteers and disease controls [schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and subjects with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection] exhibited negligible reactivity. These data raise the consideration of an autoimmune mechanism for some OCD.

Topics: Adult; Alzheimer Disease; Antibodies; Antibody Formation; Autoimmunity; Binding, Competitive; Enkephalins; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; HIV Seropositivity; Humans; Male; Multiple Sclerosis; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Protein Precursors; Schizophrenia; Somatostatin