Figure 2

Levels of active -caspase-3 are elevated in MS lesions. Levels of pro-caspase-3 (32 kD) and active capsase-3 (20 kD) were measured in (A) brain and (B) spinal cord. A) While pro-caspase was found at relatively high levels, active-caspase-3 was not detected in normal control white matter (NCWM) and normal control grey matter (NCGM) in brain. A decrease of pro-caspase-3 was followed by an increase of active caspase-3 in MS lesions. B) As opposed to brain, very low basal levels of pro- and active caspse-3 were found in control spinal cord. Dramatic increases of pro-caspase-3 was measured in acute lesions (AL), which then subsided in subacute lesions (SAL) and chronic lesions (CL). Levels of active caspase-3 were markedly and persistently higher in MS lesions compared to control tissue. Representative blots are shown from a total of 5 experiments analyzing 39 MS cases and 19 controls. Relative levels of Caspase-3/GAPDH are estimated by densitometry. Mean values ± SD are shown in corresponding graphs.