Serum MCP-1 levels are increased in mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease.
Upregulation of a number of chemokines, including monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathological changes. Emerging evidence suggests that inflammatory events precede the clinical development of AD, as cytokine disregulation has been observed also in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCP-1 levels were evaluated in serum samples from 48 subjects with MCI, 94 AD patients and 24 age-matched controls. Significantly increased MCP-1 levels were found in MCI and mild AD, but not in severe AD patients as compared with controls. mRNA levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), evaluated by quantitative RT-PCR analysis, paralleled serum MCP-1 levels. Moreover, a progressive MCP-1 decrease was observed over a 1-year follow up in a subgroup of MCI subjects converted to AD. MCP-1 upregulation is likely to be a very early event in AD pathogenesis, by far preceding the clinical onset of the disease. Nevertheless, as MCP-1 is likely to play a role in several pathologies with an inflammatory component, a possible usefulness as an early AD biomarker would be possible only in combination with other molecules.
Galimberti
Daniela
D
Department of Neurological Sciences, Dino Ferrari Center, University of Milan, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy. daniela.galimberti@unimi.it <daniela.galimberti@unimi.it>
Fenoglio
Chiara
C
Lovati
Carlo
C
Venturelli
Eliana
E
Guidi
Ilaria
I
Corrà
Barbara
B
Scalabrini
Diego
D
Clerici
Francesca
F
Mariani
Claudio
C
Bresolin
Nereo
N
Scarpini
Elio
E
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000502:physiology
D015415:Biomarkers; C111835:CCL2 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2