Increased regional brain concentrations of ceruloplasmin in neurodegenerative disorders

• Published in: Brain research 1996-11, Vol.738 (2), p.265-274
• Main Authors: Loeffler, D.A., LeWitt, P.A., Juneau, P.L., Sima, A.A.F., Nguyen, H.-U., DeMaggio, A.J., Brickman, C.M., Brewer, G.J., Dick, R.D., Troyer, M.D., Kanaley, L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute phase protein; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease - metabolism; Alzheimer Disease - pathology; Alzheimer Disease - physiopathology; Alzheimer's disease; Brain - metabolism; Brain - pathology; Brain - physiology; Case-Control Studies; Cell Count; Ceruloplasmin; Ceruloplasmin - metabolism; Copper; Copper - metabolism; Hippocampus - pathology; Humans; Huntington Disease - metabolism; Huntington Disease - pathology; Huntington Disease - physiopathology; Huntington's disease; Middle Aged; Nerve Degeneration - physiology; Neurons - pathology; Parkinson Disease - metabolism; Parkinson Disease - pathology; Parkinson Disease - physiopathology; Parkinson's disease; Progressive supranuclear palsy; Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive - metabolism; Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive - pathology; Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive - physiopathology
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/S0006-8993(96)00782-2

Ceruloplasmin (CP), the major plasma anti-oxidant and copper transport protein, is synthesized in several tissues, including the brain. We compared regional brain concentrations of CP and copper between subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 12), Parkinson's disease (PD, n = 14), Huntington's disease (HD, n = 11), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP, n = 11), young adult normal controls (YC, n = 6) and elderly normal controls (EC, n = 7). Mean CP concentrations were significantly increased vs. EC ( P < 0.05) in AD hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, frontal cortex, and putamen, PD hippocampus, frontal, temporal, and parietal cortices, and HD hippocampus, parietal cortex, and substantia nigra. lmmunocytochemical staining for CP in AD hippocampus revealed marked staining within neurons, astrocytes, and neuritic plaques. Increased CP concentrations in brain in these disorders may indicate a localized acute phase-type response and/or a compensatory increase to oxidative stress.