Biomarkers in ALS
Levels of Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and chemokine ligand-2 (CCL2) in Serum and CSF of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis patients.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder with no reliable markers for disease prognosis. Levels of Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and chemokine ligand-2 (CCL2) have been examined in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in Western population. We wanted to measure these levels in North Indian ALS patients as these patients have enhanced survival duration. In the study 50 sporadic ALS patients (25 with definite ALS, 15 probable and 10 possible ALS) were recruited and VEGF-A and CCL2 levels were analyzed in serum and cerebrospinal fluid using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared with normal controls. Their levels were adjusted for possible confounders like cigarette smoking, alcohol and meat consumption.
VEGF-A and CCL2 levels were found to be elevated significantly in serum and CSF in ALS patient population studied and results were contrary to our earlier studies. Serum and CSF from definite ALS revealed higher VEGF-A as compared to probable and possible ALS while CCL2 level was unaltered. No association was revealed between smoking, alcohol and meat consumption with VEGF-A and CCL2 levels. It can be concluded that VEGF-A upregulation helps in compensatory responses activation in ALS which accounts for increased survival of North Indian ALS patients.
Gupta P K, Prabhakar S, Sharma S and Anand A. Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and chemokine ligand-2 (CCL2) in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients. Journal of Neuroinflammation. 2011, 8:47