Abstract |
Improved biomarkers would facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Muscle content of the neuritic outgrowth inhibitor Nogo-A is increased in patients with ALS and other denervating conditions. Seeking a less invasive diagnostic method, we sought to determine whether or not Nogo increases in the serum of ALS patients. We developed a dissociation-enhanced lanthanide fluorescent immunoassay (DELFIA) protocol to screen serum samples from 172 ALS patients and 172 healthy controls for Nogo-A immunoreactivity. Unexpectedly, there was a trend toward decreased levels of serum Nogo-A in ALS. Mean serum Nogo-A level in ALS patients was 0.71 nM (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.42-1.00), as opposed to 1.15 nM (95% CI 0.72-1.59) in healthy controls. A significantly larger percentage of healthy control sera (11.0% vs 4.7%) displayed markedly elevated levels of Nogo-A. Additional study is required to determine the factors that lead to elevated Nogo-A levels in a subset of both ALS patients and healthy controls.
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Authors | Noam Y Harel, Merit E Cudkowicz, Robert H Brown, Stephen M Strittmatter |
Journal | Biomarkers : biochemical indicators of exposure, response, and susceptibility to chemicals
(Biomarkers)
Vol. 14
Issue 6
Pg. 414-7
(Sep 2009)
ISSN: 1366-5804 [Electronic] England |
PMID | 19548774
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
- Biomarkers
- Lanthanoid Series Elements
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Topics |
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
(diagnosis)
- Biomarkers
(analysis, blood)
- Case-Control Studies
- Humans
- Immunoassay
(methods)
- Lanthanoid Series Elements
- Muscle, Skeletal
(chemistry)
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