title: Cytokine expression and microglial activation in progressive supranuclear palsy.
abstract: Although little is known about the etiology of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), genetic and epigenetic factors, oxidative injury and inflammation are thought to contribute to its development and/or progression. Evidence for activated glia involvement in PSP has raised the possibility that neuroinflammation may contribute to its pathogenesis. To investigate the correlation between neuroinflammation and PSP, a comparative study was conducted on the patterns of cytokine expression in different regions of the brains of PSP, Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and normal controls. Our results show different patterns of cytokine expression in each disease, with the expression of IL-1β transcripts being significantly higher in the substantia nigra of PSP than in AD and controls, while AD brains had significantly higher IL-1β expression in the parietal cortex compared to PSP and controls. In addition, expression of TGFβ was significantly higher in the cortical areas (particularly frontal and parietal lobes) of AD compared to PSP and controls. These results show a disease-specific topographical relationship among the expression of certain cytokines (IL-1β and TGFβ), microglial activation and neurodegenerative changes, suggesting that these cytokines may contribute to the pathologic process. If so, the use of cytokine-inhibitors and/or other anti-inflammatory agents may be able to slow disease progression in PSP.
authors: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA. Rafael@louisville.edu
authors: Rafael
authors: R
authors: Fernández-Botrán
authors: Zeshan
authors: Z
authors: Ahmed
authors: Fabián A
authors: FA
authors: Crespo
authors: Chandler
authors: C
authors: Gatenbee
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Gonzalez
authors: Dennis W
authors: DW
authors: Dickson
authors: Irene
authors: I
authors: Litvan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D017628:Microglia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013494:Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines