Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, C-reactive protein, complement component C1q and homocysteine levels in patients with Alzheimer's disease

Objective To investigate serum levels of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2(Lp-PLA2), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP), complement component C1q(C1q)and homocysteine(HCY)in patients with Alzheimer's disease(AD), in order to provide a basis for establishing laboratory markers in AD patients. Methods One hundred AD patients and one hundred healthy controls from Beijing Hospital were selected.Serum levels of Lp-PLA2, C1q, hs-CRP and HCY were determined using a biochemistry analyzer.Serum levels of amyloid β-protein 40(Aβ40)and Aβ42 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results Serum levels of Aβ40, Aβ42, Lp-PLA2, hs-CRP, C1q and HCY were higher in AD patients than in the control group〔(66.0±14.0) pmol/L vs.(7.1±8.2) pmol/L, (7.2±1.4) pmol/L vs.(1.9±1.7) pmol/L, (510.6±140.1) U/L vs.(419.0±91.8) U/L, (2.8±3.4) mg/L vs.(1.2±0.7) mg/L, (218.0±58.4) mg/L vs.(194.8±27.7) mg/L and (18.8±9.3) μmol/L vs.(14.9±5.2) μmol/L, all P<0.01〕, and the differences were greater in female subjects than in male subjectss. Conclusions High serum levels of Lp-PLA2, C1q, hs-CRP and HCY may be associated with Alzheimer's disease, while the exact relationships need to be further investigated. Key words: Alzheimer disease; Phospholipase A2; Complement C1q; C-reactive protein; Homocysteine