title: Cellular immune activation markers neopterin and β2-microglobulin are not elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
abstract: In prion diseases, neuroimmunological responses include activation of microglia, astrocytosis and release of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, which might substantially contribute to the neurodegenerative process. In this study we investigated neopterin and beta(β)2-microglobulin, as markers of cellular immune activation, in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and of patients with other neurological and non-neurological diseases. CSF samples from CJD patients were collected in the framework of the German CJD Surveillance study. Concentrations of neopterin and β2-microglobulin were determined in CSF using ELISA. We could not obtain significant changes in CSF levels of neopterin and β2-microglobulin in CJD patients when compared to other neurological and non-neurological controls. In a subanalysis of CJD patients only, we could find significant elevated neopterin levels in patients with MV genotype, potentially reflecting a distinct disease pathology. Since autoimmune inflammatory disorders are important differential diagnoses in CJD, additional biomarker might be helpful in clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stoeck
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zerr
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019798:Neopterin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000276:immunology; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin; D019798:Neopterin