title: Levels of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) in human cerebrospinal fluid.
abstract: In this study, we investigated cerebrospinal fluid of patients with various neurological symptoms for the presence of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha). 41 samples of cerebrospinal fluid were collected by lumbar puncture performed routinely due to the clinical suspicion of neurological disease from 22 females (age 15-80 years, median 42 years) and from 19 males (age 18-82 years, median 48 years). A highly sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay was used to determine the concentration of TGF-alpha in the samples. The detection limit of the assay was about 200 pg TGF-alpha. There was no cross-reactivity to human EGF. We showed CSF indeed does contain TGFalpha. As TGF-alpha was detected in all 41 samples investigated, this growth factor appears to be a constant component of CSF. The mean concentration was 5.5 ng TGF-alpha (S.D. +/- 2.7 pg/ml, range 1.1 to 13.9 pg/ml). There was no significant correlation between TGF-alpha concentration in CSF and age (r = -0.006) and there was no significant difference between females (mean 5.8+/-3.10 pg/ml) and males (mean 5.2+/-1.96 pg/ml). No diagnosis was over represented in patients with TGF-alpha concentrations above or below 1 S.D. off the mean. However, highest concentrations of TGF-alpha were found in the group of patients with peripheral neurological sensory dysfunctions and polyneuropathy. We conclude that TGF-alpha is not only a constant component of human cerebrospinal fluid in adults but could also be significantly involved in the pathophysiology of various neurological diseases. The earlier hypothesis that TGF-alpha could mainly have a role in brain development needs hence to be re-evaluated.
authors.affiliation: St. Eriks Eye Clinic, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Van Setten
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Edström
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stibler
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schultz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000145:classification; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor