Glutamate excitotoxicity contributes to oligodendroglial and axonal damage in multiple sclerosis pathology. Extracellular glutamate concentration in the brain is controlled by cystine/glutamate antiporter (system xc), a membrane antiporter that imports cystine and releases glutamate. Despite this, the system xc activity and its connection to the inflammatory reaction in multiple sclerosis (MS) is largely unknown.