Chemokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines in Down's syndrome: an early marker for Alzheimer-type dementia?
BACKGROUND
People with Down's syndrome (DS) show early Alzheimer-like dementia. It has been suggested that the pro-inflammatory cytokine class plays a role in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study aims at verifying whether pro-inflammatory cytokines in DS are correlated with age, affective symptoms and intellectual decline to a different degree than in subjects with non-DS learning disabilities.


METHODS



METHODS
19 subjects with DS; controls: sex- and age-matched individuals with learning disabilities caused by perinatal ischaemic damage. The level of mental retardation was assessed according to DSM-IV; psychopathological symptoms were measured by the Assessment and Information Rating Profile. Serum levels of cytokines were determined with ELISA.


RESULTS
DS patients showed higher levels of cytokines and chemokines, with the exception of RANTES; but the only significant difference detected was for MIP-1alpha. A correlation between the degree of mental retardation and IL-6, and between MIP-lalpha and age was found in patients with DS, but not in controls.


CONCLUSIONS
The data obtained suggest a possible involvement of chemokines in the inflammatory and degenerative processes similar to AD in DS. Further longitudinal research is required to confirm these findings.
Carta
Mauro G
MG
Division of Psychiatry, Department of Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy. mgcarta@tiscali.it
Serra
Paolo
P
Ghiani
Assunta
A
Manca
Elisabetta
E
Hardoy
Maria Carolina
MC
Del Giacco
Gennaro S
GS
Diaz
Giacomo
G
Carpiniello
Bernardo
B
Manconi
Paolo E
PE
D000328:Adult; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers; D018925:Chemokines / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors
D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D015415:Biomarkers; D018925:Chemokines; D016207:Cytokines