title: Erythropoietin in the cerebrospinal fluid in neurodegenerative diseases.
abstract: Erythropoietin (EPO) and its specific receptor (EPOR) have been proposed to act as an endogenous system protecting against neuronal injury and neurodegeneration. We measured EPO in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with neurodegenerative diseases, and tested for a correlation with an established biomarker of neuro-axonal damage, tau protein. Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD, N=40), vascular dementia (VD, N=19), frontotemporal lobe dementia (FTLD, N=5), ALS (N=30) and controls (N=49) were included. Cerebrospinal fluid and serum levels of EPO and tau were measured using ELISA techniques. We found CSF EPO in ALS to be lower than in controls (p=0.04), while no difference between patients with AD, VD, FTLD and controls was detectable. CSF EPO correlated with age (p<0.001) as well as with tau protein (p=0.002) in all patients pooled. In contrast to the upregulation of the EPO/EPOR system in brain tissue upon various conditions of neuronal distress, CSF EPO concentrations in neurodegenerative disease were found in the same range or even reduced as compared to controls. This may be due to a relative deficiency of endogenous CNS EPO in these conditions and/or to a more efficient extraction of free EPO molecules from brain intercellular fluid by increased numbers of EPOR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Oberer Eselsberg 45, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brettschneider
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Widl
authors.forename: Hannelore
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ehrenreich
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riepe
authors.forename: Hayrettin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tumani
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000503:physiopathology; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000503:physiopathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D003704:Dementia / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000503:physiopathology; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016875:tau Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin