Beta-Amyloid Peptide in Tears: An Early Diagnostic Marker of Alzheimer’s Disease Correlated with Choroidal Thickness
We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic role of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers in tears as well as their association with retinal and choroidal microstructures. In a cross-sectional study, 35 subjects (age 71.7 ± 6.9 years) were included: 11 with prodromal AD (MCI), 10 with mild-to-moderate AD, and...
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/3/2590 |
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| author | Magda Gharbiya Giacomo Visioli Alessandro Trebbastoni Giuseppe Maria Albanese Mayra Colardo Fabrizia D’Antonio Marco Segatto Alessandro Lambiase |
| author_facet | Magda Gharbiya Giacomo Visioli Alessandro Trebbastoni Giuseppe Maria Albanese Mayra Colardo Fabrizia D’Antonio Marco Segatto Alessandro Lambiase |
| author_sort | Magda Gharbiya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic role of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers in tears as well as their association with retinal and choroidal microstructures. In a cross-sectional study, 35 subjects (age 71.7 ± 6.9 years) were included: 11 with prodromal AD (MCI), 10 with mild-to-moderate AD, and 14 healthy controls. The diagnosis of AD and MCI was confirmed according to a complete neuropsychological evaluation and PET or MRI imaging. After tear sample collection, β-amyloid peptide Aβ1-42 concentration was analyzed using ELISA, whereas C-terminal fragments of the amyloid precursor protein (APP-CTF) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) were assessed by Western blot. Retinal layers and choroidal thickness (CT) were acquired by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Aβ1-42 levels in tears were able to detect both MCI and AD patients with a specificity of 93% and a sensitivity of 81% (AUC = 0.91). Tear levels of Aβ1-42 were lower, both in the MCI (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and in the AD group (<i>p</i> < 0.001) when compared to healthy controls. Further, Aβ1-42 was correlated with psychometric scores (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and CT (<i>p</i> < 0.01). CT was thinner in the affected patients (<i>p</i> = 0.035). No differences were observed for APP-CTF and p-tau relative abundance in tears. Testing Aβ1-42 levels in tears seems to be a minimally invasive, cost-saving method for early detection and diagnosis of AD. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:40:34Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:40:34Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-16b5d8b418294fce9bd70aafed8867292023-11-16T16:59:29ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672023-01-01243259010.3390/ijms24032590Beta-Amyloid Peptide in Tears: An Early Diagnostic Marker of Alzheimer’s Disease Correlated with Choroidal ThicknessMagda Gharbiya0Giacomo Visioli1Alessandro Trebbastoni2Giuseppe Maria Albanese3Mayra Colardo4Fabrizia D’Antonio5Marco Segatto6Alessandro Lambiase7Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 155, Viale del Policlinico, 00161 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 155, Viale del Policlinico, 00161 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 155, Viale del Policlinico, 00161 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyDepartment of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyDepartment of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 155, Viale del Policlinico, 00161 Rome, ItalyWe aimed to evaluate the diagnostic role of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers in tears as well as their association with retinal and choroidal microstructures. In a cross-sectional study, 35 subjects (age 71.7 ± 6.9 years) were included: 11 with prodromal AD (MCI), 10 with mild-to-moderate AD, and 14 healthy controls. The diagnosis of AD and MCI was confirmed according to a complete neuropsychological evaluation and PET or MRI imaging. After tear sample collection, β-amyloid peptide Aβ1-42 concentration was analyzed using ELISA, whereas C-terminal fragments of the amyloid precursor protein (APP-CTF) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) were assessed by Western blot. Retinal layers and choroidal thickness (CT) were acquired by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Aβ1-42 levels in tears were able to detect both MCI and AD patients with a specificity of 93% and a sensitivity of 81% (AUC = 0.91). Tear levels of Aβ1-42 were lower, both in the MCI (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and in the AD group (<i>p</i> < 0.001) when compared to healthy controls. Further, Aβ1-42 was correlated with psychometric scores (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and CT (<i>p</i> < 0.01). CT was thinner in the affected patients (<i>p</i> = 0.035). No differences were observed for APP-CTF and p-tau relative abundance in tears. Testing Aβ1-42 levels in tears seems to be a minimally invasive, cost-saving method for early detection and diagnosis of AD.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/3/2590Alzheimer’s diseasebiomarkerstearschoroidal thicknessbeta-amyloidAPP |
| spellingShingle | Magda Gharbiya Giacomo Visioli Alessandro Trebbastoni Giuseppe Maria Albanese Mayra Colardo Fabrizia D’Antonio Marco Segatto Alessandro Lambiase Beta-Amyloid Peptide in Tears: An Early Diagnostic Marker of Alzheimer’s Disease Correlated with Choroidal Thickness International Journal of Molecular Sciences Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers tears choroidal thickness beta-amyloid APP |
| title | Beta-Amyloid Peptide in Tears: An Early Diagnostic Marker of Alzheimer’s Disease Correlated with Choroidal Thickness |
| title_full | Beta-Amyloid Peptide in Tears: An Early Diagnostic Marker of Alzheimer’s Disease Correlated with Choroidal Thickness |
| title_fullStr | Beta-Amyloid Peptide in Tears: An Early Diagnostic Marker of Alzheimer’s Disease Correlated with Choroidal Thickness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beta-Amyloid Peptide in Tears: An Early Diagnostic Marker of Alzheimer’s Disease Correlated with Choroidal Thickness |
| title_short | Beta-Amyloid Peptide in Tears: An Early Diagnostic Marker of Alzheimer’s Disease Correlated with Choroidal Thickness |
| title_sort | beta amyloid peptide in tears an early diagnostic marker of alzheimer s disease correlated with choroidal thickness |
| topic | Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers tears choroidal thickness beta-amyloid APP |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/3/2590 |
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