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Ten patients with multiple sclerosis and treated with interferon-β1b (IFN-β1b) were followed-up for 1 year with quantitation of serum VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 levels, mean fluorescence intensity of HLA-DR, VLA-4, CD11a, and CD18 on peripheral blood monocytes and lymphocytes, and adhesion of peripheral blood monocytes and CD45+ cells on endothelial cell monolayers. Adhesion molecule expression and adhesion of peripheral blood monocytes to endothelium were also monitored in healthy controls. No differences in adhesion were detected between MS patients before treatment and healthy controls, while after 1 year a marked decrease in the number of monocytes and mononuclear cells adhering to human umbilical vein endothelial cell monolayers was observed in patients treated with IFN-β1b. After 1 year of treatment a significant increase in HLA-DR on peripheral blood monocytes was also detected. Our findings regarding lowered adhesion add information to available evidence of the mechanisms of action of IFN-β1b in MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]