Open AccessTransforming growth factor beta in Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Chun C. Chao,
S Hu,
William H. Frey,
W. W. Tourtellotte,
Phillip K. Peterson
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1098-6588
pISSN - 1071-412X
DOI - 10.1128/cdli.1.1.109-110.1994
Subject(s) - cerebrospinal fluid , transforming growth factor beta , transforming growth factor , beta (programming language) , disease , alzheimer's disease , inflammation , medicine , immunology , computer science , programming language
Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been hypothesized to be an inflammatory condition. We hypothesized that anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), counteract the inflammatory process. In the present study, we found that TGF-beta levels were elevated in both cerebrospinal fluid and serum samples obtained from AD patients < 6 h after death. Serum TGF-beta levels were also markedly elevated before death. These results suggest that elevated TGF-beta levels in AD may represent a protective host response to immunologically mediated neuronal injury.