Interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 are elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer's and de novo Parkinson's disease patients

• Published in: Neuroscience letters 1995-12, Vol.202 (1), p.17-20
• Main Authors: Blum-Degena, Doris, Müller, Thomas, Kuhn, Wilfried, Gerlach, Manfred, Przuntek, Horst, Riederer, Peter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease - cerebrospinal fluid; Alzheimer's disease; Cerebrospinal fluid; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Humans; Interleukin-1 - blood; Interleukin-1 - cerebrospinal fluid; Interleukin-1β; Interleukin-2; Interleukin-2 - blood; Interleukin-2 - cerebrospinal fluid; Interleukin-6; Interleukin-6 - blood; Interleukin-6 - cerebrospinal fluid; Male; Middle Aged; Parkinson Disease - cerebrospinal fluid; Parkinson's disease; Plasma
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/0304-3940(95)12192-7

Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma of 12 control subjects, 11 sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 22 de novo Parkinson's disease (PD) patients using high sensitivity enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). IL-1β and IL-6 contents were significantly elevated in the CSF of de novo PD and AD patients in comparison to the control group. In contrast, the plasma levels were not significantly affected. IL-2 contents in the CSF and plasma samples were unchanged in the three groups compared. Because the two cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 are known to play a key role in the interaction between the nervous and immune system, e.g. in the so-called acute phase response, our results support the involvement of immunological events in the complex process of neurodegeneration in AD and PD.