Analyses of transthyretin concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome and other neurological disorders.
BACKGROUND
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy that causes acute areflexic paralysis with a high risk of respiratory failure. Previously, using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, we found that the transthyretin level was altered in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of GBS patients when compared to that in CSF of control patients.


METHODS
We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure the transthyretin levels in the CSF and serum from 22 GBS, 4 Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS), 9 chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), 22 multiple sclerosis (MS), 10 Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 6 viral meningitis (VM) patients, and 18 controls.


RESULTS
The results show that CSF transthyretin concentration of the GBS patients is significantly higher than that of the control, MS, AD and VM patients (p<0.05), although not significantly different from that of MFS and CIDP patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The increased CSF transthyretin level may be explained by barrier dysfunction or decreased CSF flow in the GBS patients along with increased intrathecal synthesis of transthyretin that might be a protective response to nerve damage.
Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang-Gung University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Han-Lin
HL
Chiang
Rong-Kuo
RK
Lyu
Mu-Yun
MY
Tseng
Kuo-Hsuan
KH
Chang
Hong-Shiu
HS
Chang
Wen-Chuin
WC
Hsu
Hung-Chou
HC
Kuo
Chun-Che
CC
Chu
Yih-Ru
YR
Wu
Long-Sun
LS
Ro
Chin-Chang
CC
Huang
Chiung-Mei
CM
Chen
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D011228:Prealbumin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
D011228:Prealbumin