title: Eosinophil-derived neurotoxin is elevated in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of motor neurons in the brainstem, motor cortex, and spinal cord. Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation have been implicated in the pathophysiology of ALS. Members of the family of damage-associated molecular patterns, including reactive oxygen species, high-mobility group box 1, and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN), may participate in pathological conditions. In this study, we aim to discover new biomarker for detecting ALS.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 44 patients with ALS, 41 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 41 patients with Parkinson's disease, and 44 healthy controls. The concentration of serum EDN was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  EDN levels were significantly increased 2.17-fold in the serum of patients with ALS as compared with healthy controls (P < 0.05). No correlation between the levels of serum EDN and various clinical parameters of ALS was found. Moreover, the levels of serum EDN in patients with Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease and healthy controls were similar.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A higher level of serum EDN was found specifically in patients with ALS, indicating that EDN may participate in the pathophysiology of ALS.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Molecular Systems Biomedicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Guan-Ting
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chi-Shin
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Chia-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Chih-Hao
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Sunny Li-Yun
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Jin-Ching
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chien-Fu
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hao-Teng
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000097:blood*; D047208:Eosinophil-Derived Neurotoxin / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D047208:Eosinophil-Derived Neurotoxin