title: Increased cytosolic free calcium in lymphocytes of Alzheimer patients.
abstract: Free cytosolic calcium content [Ca2+]i was determined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy volunteers, Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia patients. Measurement of [Ca2+]i by the fluorescent dye quin-2, before and at several time intervals during incubation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), showed a higher resting [Ca2+]i in PBMC of Alzheimer's disease patients as compared to controls and multi-infarct dementia patients. However, the addition of supra-optimal PHA doses (100 micrograms/ml) induced strikingly higher [Ca2+]i levels in Alzheimer's disease patients (1647 +/- 200 nM versus 398 +/- 27 nM in controls, and 346 +/- 40 nM in multi-infarct dementia patients). The increased [Ca2+]i concentration was also found after a specific stimulation with a monoclonal anti-CD3 antibody. The results may have important implications in understanding the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease and suggest that [Ca2+]i may prove diagnostically valuable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adunsky
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baram
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hershkowitz
authors.forename: Y A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Mekori
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood*; D000634:Aminoquinolines; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology; D017252:CD3 Complex; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism*; D015161:Dementia, Multi-Infarct / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000634:Aminoquinolines; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D017252:CD3 Complex; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; C035739:Quin2; D002118:Calcium