title: Hydroxycholesterol Levels in the Serum and Cerebrospinal Fluid of Patients with Neuromyelitis Optica Revealed by LC-Ag+CIS/MS/MS and LC-ESI/MS/MS with Picolinic Derivatization: Increased Levels and Association with Disability during Acute Attack.
abstract: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Hydroxycholesterols (OHCs), metabolites of CNS cholesterol, are involved in diverse cellular responses to inflammation and demyelination, and may also be involved in the pathogenesis of NMO. We aimed to develop a sensitive and reliable method for the quantitative analysis of three major OHCs (24S-, 25-, and 27-OHCs), and to evaluate their concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of patients with NMO. The levels of the three OHCs in the serum and CSF were measured using liquid chromatography-silver ion coordination ionspray tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry with picolinyl ester derivatization, respectively. The linear range was 5-250 ng/mL for 24S- and 27-OHC, and 0.5-25 ng/mL for 25-OHC in serum, and was 0.1-5 ng/mL for 24S- and 27-OHC, and 0.03-1 ng/mL for 25-OHC in CSF. Precision and accuracy were 0.5%-14.7% and 92.5%-109.7%, respectively, in serum, and were 0.8%-7.7% and 94.5%-119.2%, respectively, in CSF. Extraction recovery was 82.7%-90.7% in serum and 68.4%-105.0% in CSF. When analyzed in 26 NMO patients and 23 control patients, the 25-OHC (0.54 ± 0.96 ng/mL vs. 0.09 ± 0.04 ng/mL, p = 0.032) and 27-OHC (2.68 ± 3.18 ng/mL vs. 0.68 ± 0.25 ng/mL, p = 0.005) were increased in the CSF from NMO patients. When we measured the OHCCSF index that controls the effects of blood-brain barrier disruption on the level of OHC in the CSF, the 27-OHCCSF index was associated with disability (0.723; 95% confidence interval (CI)- 0.181, 0.620; p = 0.002), while the 24-OHCCSF index (0.518; 95% CI- 1.070, 38.121; p = 0.040) and 25-OHCCSF index (0.677; 95% CI- 4.313, 18.532; p = 0.004) were associated with the number of white blood cells in the CSF of NMO patients. Our results imply that OHCs in the CNS could play a role in the pathogenesis of NMO.
authors.affiliation: Doping Control Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Eunju
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.affiliation: Doping Control Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kang Mi
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ki Duk
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung Seok
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kwang-Woo
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Doping Control Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jaeick
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D006888:Hydroxycholesterols / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D009471:Neuromyelitis Optica / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000473:pathology; D010848:Picolinic Acids / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006888:Hydroxycholesterols; D010848:Picolinic Acids; C030614:picolinic acid