Circulating levels of neurotrophic factors are unchanged in patients with Parkinson's disease

ABSTRACT There is great evidence linking neurotrophic factor (NF) dysfunction with Parkinson's disease (PD) pathophysiology. This study was conducted to evaluate plasma levels of NFs and their possible associations with clinical symptoms in PD. For this purpose, 40 PD patients and 25 controls were subjected to a clinical evaluation and peripheral blood draw. Plasma levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), pro-BDNF, neurotrophin 3, neurotrophin 4, nerve growth, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and ciliary neurotrophic factor were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. There was no significant difference between PD patients and controls regarding the plasma levels of the evaluated NFs. In addition, NF levels were not associated with disease duration, degree of motor or functional impairment, cognitive performance or severity of depressive symptoms. In conclusion, although NFs may play relevant roles in the pathophysiology of PD, the circulating levels of these molecules are not necessarily changed in patients with PD.

摘要
大量证据表明，神经营养因子（neurotrophic factor，NF）功能异常与帕金森病（Parkinson's disease，PD）的病理生理过程密切相关。本研究旨在检测帕金森病患者的血浆神经营养因子水平，并探讨其与临床症状的潜在关联。为此，本研究纳入40名帕金森病患者与25名健康对照者，对所有受试者进行临床评估并采集外周血样本。采用酶联免疫吸附试验（enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay）检测受试者血浆中脑源性神经营养因子（brain-derived neurotrophic factor，BDNF）、前体脑源性神经营养因子（pro-BDNF）、神经营养素3、神经营养素4、神经生长因子、胶质细胞源性神经营养因子以及睫状神经营养因子（ciliary neurotrophic factor，CNTF）的水平。帕金森病患者与健康对照者的血浆所检测的神经营养因子水平无显著差异。此外，血浆神经营养因子水平与帕金森病患者的病程、运动功能受损程度、认知功能表现或抑郁症状严重程度均无显著关联。综上，尽管神经营养因子可能在帕金森病的病理生理过程中发挥重要作用，但帕金森病患者的循环神经营养因子水平未必发生改变。