Objective: Though the data regarding the mechanisms behind neurodegeneration in addition to amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are not clear, there are emerging data for inflammation and microvascular changes to have contribution to the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The relationships between numerous biomarkers also need to be investigated. This study aimed to assess inflammatory marker tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), adiponectin (a modulator of anti-inflammation), and potential microvascular markers for AD including both intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in Turkish patients with AD and healthy elderly subjects, and the relationships among the variables in patients with AD.
Materials and Methods: In this study, 46 patients with AD and 30 cognitively healthy controls over 60 years of age from the outpatient clinics of Ege University were included. Adiponectin, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and TNF-α were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.
Results: The median adiponectin level in the AD group was higher than in the controls (p=0.002). Median VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and TNF-α values for patients with AD and the controls were similar. There were positive correlations between VCAM-1 and both TNF-α and adiponectin in the patients with AD (r=0.540, p<0.001, and r=0.301, p=0.044, respectively).
Conclusion: Though a dramatic rise of adiponectin, and associations of VCAM-1 and both TNF-α and adiponectin in subjects with AD were shown, the clinical significances of these peripheral measurements need to be further investigated.