Plasma concentration of acylated ghrelin in patients with Alzheimer's disease

Ghrelin is a hormone produced in the stomach and tightly linked to the regulation of energy balance and cognitive processes. It may be altered in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a dementia syndrome markedly influenced by metabolic diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the plasma concentration of acylated ghrelin in patients with AD. The study included 71 people 37 in the case Group (23 female, 14 male) with AD and 34 controls (20 female, 14 male). The clinical symptoms of the patients based on the DAM-IV criteria were registered and cognitive function was assessed with the mini mental state exam (MMSE) which measures the severity of AD. The plasma concentration of acylated ghrelin, glucose, lipids and lipoproteins were measured by using ELISA assay kits and enzymatic methods. The plasma concentration of acylated ghrelin was significantly higher in the group with Alzheimer’s disease compared with the controls and it was not associated with the biochemical parameters including glucose, lipids and lipoproteins. The results of the current study show higher plasma concentrations of AG in the people with Alzheimer’s disease, and it was not associated with changes in anthropometric characteristics, plasma lipids and lipoproteins of the patients. This suggests that as a preliminary work, it could be helpful for the follow up of the disease, but more investigations are required to clarify the issue.