Serum Neurofilament Light Chain as a Biomarker of Disease Activity in Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Neurofilament light chain (NFL) is a cytoskeletal protein found in neurons indicating neural damage resulting from neuroinflammation and degeneration related to multiple sclerosis (MS). Among the various subtypes of MS, the most prevalent is relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).Aim of the Work: The current study aimed to assess the prognostic value of serum NFL biomarker as a predictor of disease activity and clinical outcomes.Materials and Methods: This case control study was performed on 44 relapsing remitting MS patients and 22 apparently healthy controls. The study was conducted at Ain Shams University Hospital in both the Neurology Department and the Clinical Pathology the Department in the period between August 2023 and January 2024.Results: In comparison to controls, RRMS patients showed no statistically significant difference in serum NFL levels (p= 0.094). Patients were grouped into two categories, patients in a relapse phase and those in a remission phase. When comparing the patient groups, there were significant statistical differences as regard family history of MS (p= 0.046), EDSS score (p= 0.003), number of relapses (p= 0.025) and the duration of the disease (p= 0.018).Conclusion: In this study, NFL was not a reliable biomarker in predicting disease worsening and activity among RRMS patients when measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as there is an overlap between NFL levels among patients and controls.