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The salivary Tau protein as a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Santos Gustavo A.A.,
Fazan Valeria Paula Sassoli,
Pardi Paulo Celso
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1002/alz.053217
Subject(s) - saliva , biomarker , disease , medicine , alzheimer's disease , physiology , gastroenterology , biology , biochemistry
Background Biomarkers can be detected in blood levels and more recently the viability of their identification in salivary samples has been verified. We believe that salivary biomarkers can be used to support behavioral assessments and thus serve as a diagnostic model for the identification of AD at an early stage Method This is a case‐control study carried out in patients diagnosed with probable AD and cognitively healthy patients without AD. A total of 60 patients were selected: 30 do not have Alzheimer's disease; 30 are patients with Alzheimer's disease. After processing the saliva collected in the laboratory, we used the ELISA method with adaptation of the kits for CSF and other components for saliva. The patients came from long‐term care facilities for the elderly and had medical follow‐up. Result We observed that the salivary tTAU concentration in patients with Alzheimer's is significantly lower, with a reduction of 35.5% compared to patients without AD, confirming the hypothesis that tTAU can be used as a biomarker for AD. Conclusion There is an inverse correlation between salivary TAU and CSF concentrations. Previous studies reinforce our view that there is an increase in pTAU and a reduction in tTAU in Alzheimer's patients. New studies need to be carried out with a greater diversity of groups and the inclusion of other biomarkers that can correlate the pathophysiological process of the disease with the respective concentrations.