title: Alterations in prealbumin concentration after adrenal autotransplantation for Parkinson's disease.
abstract: The cerebrospinal fluid of eight patients with Parkinson's disease who underwent adrenal medullary autotransplantation was analyzed using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A protein, subsequently identified as prealbumin, was noted to change in concentration over the intraoperative to 18-month postoperative time course. The qualitative changes observed on visual inspection were confirmed and quantified using laser densitometry. The concentration of prealbumin increased by an average of 90% when the intraoperative and 12-month samples were compared. This increase persisted at 18 months. The ratio of prealbumin to albumin also increased from intraoperative to 12 months by an average of 56%. This suggests that the increases in PA are the result of choroid plexus activation rather than a nonspecific breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. Given the association of prealbumin with other nervous system diseases, as well as its known ability to bind multiple substances, these findings may have important implications. Alterations in prealbumin may be responsible for the improvement seen in some patients who receive adrenal medullary autotransplants. Alternatively, prealbumin may be implicated in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2380.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Abram
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kruskal
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tulipan
mesh_terms: D000313:Adrenal Medulla / Q000637:transplantation*; D003720:Densitometry; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000628:therapy*; D011228:Prealbumin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
chemical_list: D011228:Prealbumin; D012709:Serum Albumin