Studies of protease inhibitors in the sera of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Serum levels of 4 protease inhibitors, alpha-1-antitrypsin, C1-inactivator, alpha-2-macroglobulin and antithrombin-III were measured in 11 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (6 males and 5 females) and a control group without neurologic disease. Our results indicated no significant differences in the level of serum alpha-2-macroglobulin between the 2 groups. We found slight but significantly lower levels of serum antithrombin-III in ALS. The possibility of the participation of proteases or protease inhibitors in the pathogenesis of ALS is discussed.
Adachi
N
N
Department of Medicine (Neurology), Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
Shoji
S
S
D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000097:blood*; D000990:Antithrombin III / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000097:blood*; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin / Q000097:blood; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins / Q000097:blood
D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins; D000990:Antithrombin III