Cytokine profiling in the prefrontal cortex of Parkinson's Disease and Multiple System Atrophy patients

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

  • Rasmus Rydbirk
  • Betina Elfving
  • Mille Dahl Andersen
  • Langbøl, Mia Aggergaard
  • Jonas Folke
  • Kristian Winge
  • Bente Pakkenberg
  • Tomasz Brudek
  • Susana Aznar

Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) are neurodegenerative diseases characterized neuropathologically by alpha-synuclein accumulation in brain cells. This accumulation is hypothesized to contribute to constitutive neuroinflammation, and to participate in the neurodegeneration. Cytokines, which are the main inflammatory signalling molecules, have been identified in blood and cerebrospinal fluid of PD patients, but studies investigating the human brain levels are scarce. It is documented that neurotrophins, necessary for survival of brain cells and known to interact with cytokines, are altered in the basal ganglia of PD patients. In regards to MSA, no major study has investigated brain cytokine or neurotrophin protein expression. Here, we measured protein levels of 18 cytokines (IL-2, 4-8, 10, 12, 13, 17, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, MCP-1, MIP-1α and 1β, TNF-α) and 5 neurotrophins (BDNF, GDNF, bFGF, PDGF-BB, VEGF) in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex in brains of MSA and PD patients and control subjects. We found altered expression of IL-2, IL-13, and G-CSF, but no differences in neurotrophin levels. Further, in MSA patients we identified increased mRNA levels of GSK3β that is involved in neuroinflammatory pathways. Lastly, we identified increased expression of the neurodegenerative marker S100B, but not CRP, in PD and MSA patients, indicating local rather than systemic inflammation. Supporting this, in both diseases we observed increased MHC class II(+) and CD45(+) positive cells, and low numbers of infiltrating CD3(+) cells. In conclusion, we identified neuroinflammatory responses in PD and MSA which seems more widespread in the brain than neurotrophic changes.

Original languageEnglish
JournalNeurobiology of Disease
Volume106
Pages (from-to)269-278
Number of pages10
ISSN0969-9961
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2017

    Research areas

  • Journal Article

ID: 185066181