VEGF polymorphisms and serum VEGF levels in Parkinson's disease

• Published in: Neuroscience letters 2011-04, Vol.494 (1), p.1-5
• Main Authors: Mihci, Ebru, Ozkaynak, Sibel S., Sallakci, Nilgun, Kizilay, Ferah, Yavuzer, Ugur
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Alleles; Biological and medical sciences; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Frequency; Genetic Association Studies; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Genotype; Haplotypes; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neurodegeneration; Neurology; Parkinson Disease - blood; Parkinson Disease - genetics; Parkinson's disease; Pathogenesis; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polymorphism; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - blood; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - genetics; VEGF; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2011.02.027

► VEGF has been known to display neuroprotective effects on dopaminergic neurons. ► No association between VEGF polymorphism and IPD in the Turkish population. ► Serum VEGF levels in both groups were similar. Accumulated data within the recent years demonstrate that reduced levels of VEGF which is a well known angiogenic molecule might cause neurodegeneration in part by impairing neural tissue perfusion, vasoregulation and normal functioning of perivascular autonomic nerves. Additionally, VEGF has been reported to support neuroprotection in dopaminergic neurons by indirect and direct mechanisms and suppress apoptosis in dopaminergic neurons in vitro. The aim of the current study is first to demonstrate whether there is an association between the three common VEGF polymorphisms (−2578C/A, −634C/G and 936C/T) in the VEGF gene and idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) which is a neurodegenerative disease caused by the progressive degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons, and second to see if the serum levels of VEGF is reduced in the patients with IPD. We screened the genotype and allele frequencies of three common functional polymorphisms of VEGF, namely −2578C/A, −634C/G and 936C/T in DNA samples of 126 patients with IPD and healthy control subjects and also we compared the median serum levels of VEGF between these two groups. No association was found between the inspected VEGF polymorphisms and IPD and also no difference was found between the serum VEGF levels of both groups. The current study failed to support the hypothesis that VEGF polymorphisms and/or reduced serum VEGF levels are likely contributors to the neurodegenerative process in IPD.